You Wanna Be on Top?
by johnsonmiranda70
Summary: Shizuka Uzumaki is competiting in the biggest modeling competition in all of Japan with her twin brother Naruto. As she goes through rounds and rounds of runway and photoshoots, follow along as Shizuka makes friends and enemies as she chases her dream. She may even find a little romance with a certain redhead along the way. Multiple Naruto characters and couples included!
1. The Casting Call

**Originally, I had written another modelling themed story called "The Competition Starts Now", but I discontinued it because I didn't really like the flow and direction it was heading for. I was growing unhappy with it, so I decided to rewrite it to give it a fresh start. The many characters in this story will be revealed over time, including many Naruto characters we know and love. My character Izuka is my original idea, as well as any new characters I may make up along the way. I hope all of you readers enjoy the story and I hope you all would review so because I like to hear what you have to say, and it's nice to have some commentary on a story once in a while. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1: The Casting Call

"Izuka! Izuka! IZUKA, WAKE UP!"

"WHAT IS IT!?" I yell as I open my eyes to see a pair of bright blue eyes staring down at me like I was the weirdest thing on the planet. My exuberant loudmouth of an older brother was looking down at me with that huge grin of his on his face. He was dressed in a black shirt and a pair of ridiculously bright orange boxer briefs, his blonde hair looking very messy this morning, but then again, when is it not messy?

"What the hell do you want Naruto? You know how hard it is for me to sleep these days right?"

"Well duh . . . You are a chronic insomniac after all. I know that much," Naruto tells me like it was the simplest thing in the world. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I have a very good reason for doing it!"

"And that is what exactly?" I ask with a groan as I slowly swing my legs over the edge of my bed. "It better be good Naruto or else I will burn your whole entire ramen stash in the trash bin!"

"So it was you that burned my last stash of ramen! I thought it was one of the neighbors!" Naruto exclaims with a look of disbelief on his face. ". . . I owe Mr. Yamato an apology."

"Naruto, explain now or else the stash is going to the trash," I say with a slight growl in my voice as I wipe the sleep from my eyes. "I know where you hide it and it won't take me long to go get it."

"Alright, alright . . . I'll talk . . ." my brother says as he holds up his arms in defeat. "I woke you up because we have a deadline to make. The casting call is today! The opportunity of a lifetime is upon us!"

"The casting call . . . It's the one for that modelling competition right?" I ask before a loud yawn escapes past my lips. "What's the name again? 'You Wanna be on Top?' . . . right?"

"That's exactly it . . . Its 6:30 right now and the casting call at the Morimoto building downtown is at 8:00 exactly. There's going to be a big crowd down there, so we better get a move on so we can be on line as quickly as possible."

"No matter how early we get to the mall, there's going to be a big long line nonetheless . . . The show is just that popular," I say with a shake of my head. "Anyway, I'm going to get ready now . . . You should do the same Naruto."

"Can't I heat up some ramen for us first?" he tells me with a small whine in his tone as I walk over to my closet. "We can take it with us while we're on the go."

"Fine, but make it quick," I say as I look through my rack of clothes. "If we want to get a good spot in line, we need to get out of here as fast as possible."

"Yes ma'am!" Naruto says with a shake of his head before running out the room, almost tripping up on his own two feet as he ran out of the doorway. I couldn't help but chuckle at my brother's sudden bout of clumsiness. He grew out of it over the years, but every once in a while, it just comes right back to him. Hopefully he doesn't go all clumsy again on the runway.

And as for me, I just hope I don't fall asleep on the runway. . .

 _ **At 7:45**_

"Damn this line is so long!" Naruto exclaims with a shake of his head as we finally reach the end of the line. "This line wraps around the block for crying out loud! I could probably eat two bowls of ramen before we even get inside."

"Well, this is what happens when popular shows and events hold castings and auditions, Naruto. Long big lines are basically inevitable," I say with a shake of my head as I look around at our surroundings. "It's a good thing the casting call is taking place in the middle of spring though. If it was happening during the dead of winter, this line probably wouldn't even be half as long as it is now."

"I don't think so Izzy . . ." Naruto says with a shake of his head as he patted my shoulder. "Everyone here, us included, are here to audition for the largest modeling competition in all of Japan! I don't think cold weather would stop people from pursuing this opportunity."

"I guess that's what you call dedication . . ." I say as the line slowly inches forward. "Do you think we'll even make it to the next round?"

"Now what kind of attitude is that huh little sis?" Naruto asks me in shock as he looks at me in disbelief. "That's not the kind of attitude you want to have when you're on the verge of an opportunity like this."

"I know . . . You're right, but still though. . ." I say with a shake of my head as we continue to inch forward with the line. "With all these gorgeous faces among us, the odds of us moving on to the next round of casting are practically slim to none."

"Odds? Ha! I laugh at odds!" Naruto says with a chuckle as we turn the corner onto the side of the building where the entryway was at. "C'mon little sis, have faith in yourself! I know we can make it to the next round. I just know it . . . If it helps, we do have our own unique looks that are way different than anyone else. We do have that going for us."

"I guess you're right . . ." I say as I look at the building on our right. The wall's surface was reflective, which served as an excellent mirror for anyone that wanted to use it to touch up their makeup or check for any blemishes or imperfections that may have suddenly come up on their skin. Naruto and I are fraternal twins, and we were probably the biggest example of how different fraternal twins can look compared to each other. We are the same height and the same head shape, but that was as similar as similar gets between the two of us.

Naruto was tanner than me and had bright blue eyes that reminded me of the sea. Along with his bright blonde hair and the foxlike whisker birthmarks on his face, he looked like he could belong to a surfer group that hanged out by the beach everyday throughout the year.

On the other hand, always considered myself as a person . . . well, the icier version of Naruto. While his hair has always been this bright blonde color, mine's is very pale, almost ice-like. My skin and eyes are slightly paler than Naruto's own. I was never born with the fox whisker birthmarks my brother's been born with, or any birthmark to begin with. However, I have been developing into a pretty bad insomniac over the years, so much so that slim dark rings have started to show up around my eyes. They don't look that terrible. In fact, it looks like I've got permanent mascara lines around my eyes. I've been able to sleep from time to time, but most of the nights I just curl up in my bed with a book in hand because I just can't sleep well no more.

"Come on sis . . . You got to believe that we have a pretty good chance of making it to the next round . . . If you don't, well, I'll just believe for the both of us." Naruto says with that ever so cheerful grin of his as we continue to move along like a very long and slow caterpillar.

"Hmm . . . Thanks Naruto . . ." I say with a chuckle as I shoot him a small smirk. He shoots me a big grin in return, which makes me pretty much wonder how in the world he could maintain such a chipper attitude despite the ever-so-scary odds.

Eventually, we finally manage to get into the building after another half hour passes us by, and once we get inside, we soon find out that the boys and girls would be auditioning separately. The boys would stay on the ground floor while the girls would be showing their stuff on the second floor.

"Looks like this is where we split up sis," Naruto says with a chuckle as he watches some of the male competition make their way down the hallway toward the room where the boys' casting would be held. "I'll see you later Izuka."

"See ya Naruto!" I say with a chuckle as I watch him walk away. "Hey Naruto!"

"Yeah little sis?"

"Good luck!"

"Thanks . . . Knock 'em dead sis!" he says back with that ever present grin on his face as he disappears into the crowd of tall, good looking men. I take in a deep breath before following the large group of girls down a second hallway that led to the staircases, elevators, and escalators. With the amount of girls that was trying out for this casting call, the staircase was the obvious choice to go with if I wanted to get ahead of some of these girls, some of them not looking too friendly as they pushed and shoved their way to get to the next floor.

When I reach the second floor, I follow the line as it gathers before a long table that was right next to a set of bronze colored doors. Standing in front of the table was a raven haired woman dressed in a shiny silver jumpsuit and black sandals. Her chin-length hair was tied back in a chic low pony and she held a black clipboard that had the 'You Wanna Be on Top?' logo on the back. She looked like a very fashionable secretary.

"Welcome potential models!" the lady says with a grin on her face as she holds her clipboard close to her chest. "Welcome to the first round of the 'You Wanna Be on Top?' auditions!"

"My name is Shizune, and you all know me as the assistant to the host of 'You Wanna Be on Top?' Ms. Tsunade herself . . ." says the lady as she points to herself, her voice managing to be heard as she continues to be pelted with our cheers and applause. "Now settle down ladies . . . I have to go over a few things with you all first before we really get down to business."

At that, the entire crowd comes to an abrupt halt, all of us giving Shizune our absolute attention as we all stood in silence so that we heard what she was going to say next.

"Thank you all for your attention . . ." says Shizune as she looks around the group. "For starters, unfortunately, Ms. Tsunade couldn't make it to today's casting call due to another urgent matter, but she will be around for the semifinals . . . well, if you're lucky enough to make it that far that is."

"That worries me . . ."

"Hmm . . ." I mumble with an eyebrow raised as I hear the timid voice from somewhere on my near left. I turn my head to see a pale indigo-haired girl right next to me looking on at Shizune with a shy look on her face. Her pale eyes, which didn't look like they had pupils to begin with at first glance, showed how unsure she was about the whole thing as she began to twiddle her fingers like the nervous person she probably was. "Hey, you shouldn't be worried."

"Huh?" she asks in mild shock as she turns to me. "Wait . . . Are you talking to me?"

"Yes, yes I am talking to you," I say with a reassuring smile on my face. "It's okay to be nervous. You're not the only one who's worried about their chances for making it to the next round. Between you and me, even though everyone seems excited to be here, I bet everyone's feeling a little on the iffy side on the inside, including me."

"I guess you're right . . . This is such a big opportunity. It's crazy for me to think that everybody here is not even a little nervous . . ." she says as she takes in a very deep breath. "Oh, by the way, what's your name?"

"My name is Shizuka Uzumaki, but I just go by Izuka for short," I say with a shrug. "Although, my brother insists on calling me Izzy, even though I never want him to . . . What's your name?'

"My name is Hinata Hyuga . . ." she says as we overhear Shizune talking about how we each have to do a little bit of paperwork before we were let into the room. "So, is your brother auditioning too?"

"Yep . . . he's downstairs with the other guys. What about you?" I ask as we join the other girls into filing into a single line in front of the table. "Do you have any friends or family auditioning for the competition today?"

"Just my cousin Neji . . ." she tells me with a small shrug as we inch forward along the line. "Although, he was a little reluctant to come along at first."

"Huh . . . why?" I ask with an eyebrow raised. "Why was your cousin reluctant to come along to audition?"

"He wasn't too in to the idea of competing in a modeling competition, but my dad asked him to come with me because he wanted someone to look out for me while I'm here," Hinata tells me truthfully as she finally stop twiddling her fingers. "Plus, he wasn't fully convinced to come along until he found out that his good friend TenTen was auditioning for the show too."

"Is she here among the group?"

"No . . . She's going to audition during the afternoon session," Hinata tells me simply as I feel a look of shock come across my face . . . Damn you Naruto. "You never knew there was an afternoon session . . . did you?"

"Not in the slightest . . ." I say in shock as I notice that we're only 15 girls away from the table. "I have a hard time sleeping . . . If I had known that there was an afternoon session as well, I would have slept in and gone to the afternoon one. My brother never told me . . ."

"Maybe he never knew . . ." Hinata suggests in my brother's defense as I pinch the bridge of my nose. I give her the benefit of the doubt and don't say anything to respond to her suggestion. Eventually, we finally reach the head of the line, where we sign our names, ages, hometowns, and email addresses on the admission sheet before receiving a pink sheet of paper with a number on it. We're soon ushered through the bronze colored doors and into the room filled with fellow wannabe models hoping to get to the next round. "There's a lot of competition here."

"You said it . . ." I say as we make our way to a couple of chairs that was in the far back of the room. "But I hope we both make it through . . ."

"Wait . . . You hope we _both_ make it through?" Hinata asks me in slight shock as we sit down.

"Well . . . Why not?" I say as I shake my head. "Even though we've known each other for like, 30 minutes now, I can tell that you're a nice person Hinata. Plus, you have one of the most unique looks in this room. There are girls here that are actually shooting you glances . . . That means they see you as a potential threat."

"Really . . . Oh . . ." she says with a little bit of shock in her tone as we spot at least seven other girls staring our way. As soon as they spot us staring at them, they quickly turn their heads to avoid eye contact. "Maybe they were just staring at you Izuka. You have a unique look as well . . . Very . . . icy."

"Yeah . . . I've been told that I have a bit of an icy look to myself . . ." I say with a small chuckle as I place my sticky pink paper on my leg. Hinata does the same with hers, but she puts it right on her stomach. "My brother told me that I should just have faith in myself and basically not even think about being cut."

"That's some nice advice. All my dad told me was good luck." Hinata says with a shake of her head.

"Sometimes a simple 'good luck' is all you really need . . ." I say with a chuckle as Shizune walks into the room. "And in this competition, it doesn't hurt to have a little luck going for you."

 **Please review!**


	2. The Preliminary Round

Chapter 2: The Preliminary Round

"Alright ladies, I know it looks like there are a lot less of you in this room compared to when you were all lined up outside of the building. There's a perfectly good reason for this!" Shizune says as she speaks into a microphone an assistant conveniently handed over to her. "There is supposed to be a certain number of potential models, aka, you guys, that would be a part of the morning session. There were so many of you that came out today, that once we reached our limit, we basically had to stop letting people in. While the rest of those girls will have to wait till the afternoon session to have their chance, you early birds will be starting your journey right here, right now."

"And so it begins . . ." I mumble in a low tone as I let out a deep breath. "Are you ready for this Hinata?"

"Hopefully . . ." is all she says as she shoots me a slightly unsure look. I shoot her a reassuring smile in return before turning to face Shizune, who was gesturing for the whole room to be quiet. Once everyone did quiet down, she continued with her speech.

"Anyway ladies, before you all entered the room, you were each handed a pink piece of paper with a number on it. When your number is called, you will come up to our lovely runway here in the middle of the aisle," says Shizune as she waves her hand toward the long, black, elevated platform that would serve as our runway. "The preliminary judges will ask you to walk, and then they will do a little interview with you, with your fellow models here serving as the audience."

"Oh great . . . Doing the interview and a runway walk in front of your fellow competition? No pressure . . ." Hinata says with a shake of her head.

"I guess they want to test us to see how we would do in front of an audience. You know, see who'll step to the plate or buckle under the pressure, that kind of thing," I say with a shrug. "It's a pretty smart test if you ask me."

"It may be a smart test, but it's a nerve-wracking one at that . . ." Hinata says with a shake of her head.

"This year, there's going to be a few changes to the format of the competition, and the first change starts here in the preliminary round," Shizune says as she starts to slowly walk across the runway. "In previous years, the usual routine of the preliminary rounds is that two models at a time will do their walks, interviews, have their Polaroid shots taken, and then leave. Usually the decision of who's in the semifinals and who's not isn't made and announced till a few weeks afterward. Well . . . not this year."

"This year, things are different in this round," Shizune adds as a small smirk comes across her face. "This year, the lovely preliminary judges have a special item in their arsenal, which we here at 'You Wanna Be on Top?' have suitably named as the Fast Track award."

"Fast Track award?" Hinata asks me as we both look at each other in disbelief. "What do you think that means?"

"I don't know . . ." I say with an unsure shrug. "But I hope it is good for us . . ."

"Now, I bet you all are wondering what the Fast Track award is, right?" Shizune asks the crowd. "Well, the idea is quite simple ladies. If you impress the judges very well, and I mean _very_ well, then you could earn a Fast Track award from them. Earning a Fast Track award means that instead of waiting weeks in order to learn if you made it to the semifinal round or not, you will have earned a ticket to the semifinals right here, on the spot."

The response to her explanation was crazy, to say the least. Girls left and right were jumping up and down in their seats shocked and amazed to know that there was a chance to earn a spot in the next round right here today, in this very room. Shizune ended up having a little trouble shushing the crowd of screaming girls, but eventually she managed to get everyone to calm their voices down.

"Calm down girls. I haven't delivered the drawback to it yet. Yes, the Fast Track award is an amazing thing to win, however it comes in a limited supply," says Shizune as she scans the crowd. "And when I say limited supply, I mean that only three of you can win the Fast Track awards, that is, if three of you impress the judges well enough."

"Well that's great . . ." I mumble with a shake of my head. "There's basically no guarantee that three girls will win the Fast Track in to the semifinals. One girl could win, three girls could win . . ."

"Or in the worst case scenario, no girl wins a Fast Track award and we'll all have to wait weeks to learn our fates in this competition," Hinata finishes for me as she taps her fingers along her lap. "It really isn't a win-win scenario for us."

"Alright ladies, are you all ready to meet your judges for today's preliminaries?" Shizune asks us with a grin. We all answer her with one unanimous 'YES'; our many voices ringing across the room. "Alright then, I would like you to meet our judges for this event: Photographers Genma Shiranui and Hayate Gekko and top model Anko Mitarashi."

We all applauded as the three judges entered the room through a side door. The first judge, Genma, was dressed in a simple black shirt and jeans, his hair was tied back in a bandanna, and he noticeably had a toothpick in his mouth. Hayate Gekko looked a little sickly in person, but was dressed fashionably in a casual dark gray suit. Anko was smiling from ear to ear as she took a seat in between the two men at the judges table, looking just as good as her fellow judges in her body-hugging black jumpsuit. She was the first judge I noticed out of the three, mostly because she walked into the room carrying a tray of dangos and I was starting to get hungry.

"Alright judges, you all were given a review of what's going to happen today. Are you three ready?" Shizune asked as she turned to face the three. All three judges shook their heads yes for a response. "Models, are you ready?"

"YES!" we all screamed in unison, the anticipation practically killing us as we patiently waited our turns on the runway

"Alright, let's get these preliminaries started!" Shizune exclaimed into the microphone as she walked over to a small bowl filled with pink papers that looked similar to the pink papers that each model was given. "Let's start off with our first two models shall we? Models with numbers 87 and 93, please come on down!"

A blond with a severe bob cut quickly got up from her seat in the middle of the room and made her way over to the runway, soon followed by another girl that had blue streaks in her strikingly silver hair. They both made their way over to the part of the runway closest to the judges' table, and even though we could only see their backs, I could tell that they were nervous, very visibly nervous.

"Hello girls! What are your names?" Genma asks with a friendly smile on his face.

"Miyuki" the girl with the blue streaks said, her voice trembling as she spoke the single word.

"Kurome" the girl with the blonde bob said with a simple nod of her head.

"Well Miyuki, Kurome, you two are our first two models up here, which means you two will be setting the bar," says Genma as he crossed his arms. "Hopefully, you two set a high one. Let's get things started!"

And started it did. Kurome and Miyuki both did their walks first before the interviews. They both walked side-by-side to the beat of an electro-pop song blaring out from the room speakers and to the cheers from us fellow models. I had to admit. Both girls had pretty reasonable walks. They weren't really strong and powerful, but they were reasonable enough. The interviews came right after their walks, and any idea of the interviews being easier than the runway walk went right out the window as soon as the first few questions came out the judges mouths. From what I saw in the first interviews alone, I knew that questions about us as a person or on the fashion world would be the two main topics in the interview sessions. This really wasn't going to be easy.

As time dragged on, more and more models were called up the runway for their shot at glory. Some girls were so confident you thought they were competing for the Miss Japan title or something. It was just so pageant-like that it was so . . . _unnatural_. It was like they were robots, well dressed robots. I had a feeling those girls definitely didn't impress the judges too much.

Other girls basically broke down once they were on the stage. As soon as they tried to say something, they broke down into fits of sadness and started crying right there on the runway's shiny surface. About a few girls actually had anxiety attacks; and one fainted right in front of the judges table! That was unnerving, and Hinata started to tremble so much after the girl fainted that I had to calm her down.

"Hinata, please calm down . . ." I say reassuringly as the girl that fainted gets carted away on a stretcher. "You have to take a deep breath and calm your nerves."

"I'm trying to, but after seeing what happened to that poor girl, it's really hard to try to stay in a calm state of mind," she tells me as she shakes her head. "I've always been the nervous type, so I can easily imagine sharing that girl's fate and fainting right where everyone in this whole room can see."

"Hinata, you can't think so negative about this. Try to stay positive," I say supportively as I saw Shizune talk with the judges from the corner of my eye. "Sure that girl fainted, but that's not going to happen to you, and do you know why?"

"Why?" Hinata asks me timidly as she looks down at her feet. "Why am I not going to faint hmm?"

"Well, let me tell you something that someone told me a long time ago," I say as I go into storytelling mode. "Every girl in the world has an inner light in them. That's their confidence, their strength. That inner light, when it finally shines through, can help any girl achieve whatever they're aspiring for. Our inner lights are helping us to aspire to be models, _professional_ models. Bring out that inner light, and it will help you go far Hinata. It really will."

"Wow . . . You really need to be an adviser or a motivational speaker or something Izuka," Hinata tells me as she finally stops trembling and takes in a deep breath. "That's some good advice."

"I try . . ." I say with a shrug as I turn my attention back on Shizune as she pulls out two more numbers from the bowl. "Anyway, I wonder how long it'll be before our numbers are called."

"Numbers 29 and 30! It's your time to show your stuff!"

"Oh wow . . . I think those are our numbers," I say in disbelief as I looked down at my number to see that it was indeed number 30. When I turned to Hinata, she was looking at her paper in shock. It displayed number 29. "Yeah . . . it's us alright. Are you ready to do this Hinata?"

"I think so . . ." she tells me as we both get up from our chairs. "I'm ready to try my luck."

"That's the spirit. Remember your inner light . . ." I advise her before making my way over to the runway. Hinata follows right after me and as we made our way over to the platform, the girls around us began whispering and mumbling with each other, eyeing us with uncertainty, and a little bit of jealousy here and there. When we reached the starting point in front of the judges, we knew we had all of their attention, since all eyes were on us . . . No freaking pressure.

"Hello ladies!" Anko says with a smile that was very mischievous as she twirled her dango stick between her slim fingernails. "What are your names?"

"Shizuka, but I usually go by Izuka." I say simply as I weaved my fingers together, a small smile showing on my face as I looked at all three judges.

"My name's Hinata." Hinata answers for herself as she did a small bow out of respect.

"Alright Shizuka, Hinata, let's see you two walk. When I say go, start walking," Anko says as she signals an attendant to start the music. Hinata and I both exchange a look before turning around to stare down the length of the runway. The sounds of the same electro-pop song that's been played for every runway walk so far echoes out of the receivers once again. I slowly take in a deep breath before I start listening in for the rhythm of the song, my right foot barely tapping to the beat as we waited for the signal.

"GO!"

The girls start cheering us on as Hinata and I start our walk, and I eat it all up as I go, the crowd's noise basically powering me forward. I keep my posture straight and poised like a working model's, remembering to put power into my step as I walked to the beat of the music. Once I reached the end of the runway, I placed a hand on my hip and strike a pose for five seconds. From the corner of my eye, I see Hinata doing a similar pose to mine, but with both her hands. I notice the determined look in her eyes, and I couldn't help but be proud of the fact that she pulled herself together for this moment. Once we finished posing, we turned around to see all three judges smiling at us from their seats. As soon as we returned to the starting point, Anko raised her hand, signaling for the music to stop, which also led to the cheering to become that much louder.

"Well done ladies . . . Well done indeed!" Anko says with a grin on her face as all three judges give us a round of applause. "I'll be the first to say it. You two, in my opinion, were some of the best walkers we saw so far today, so congratulations on that."

"Thank you!" Hinata and I manage to say in unison as we both bow our heads in gratitude.

"I'm going to start with you Hinata. You definitely have a poise and elegance to your walk that I appreciate. If you just put a little more strength in that step, you got yourself a great walk," Anko further adds as she speaks to the indigo haired girl before moving on to me. "And Izuka, there was definitely strength in your walk. You found the rhythm of the music and just went with it, and that's what a good model does!"

"I agree . . ." says Hayate as he shakes his head. "You both have two different walks, and they worked so well. Hinata, you got this elegance and grace to your walk, while Izuka, your walk showed confidence, rhythm, and power. These two styles usually contrast with each other when they're put side-by-side on a runway, but you two made it work!"

"We've certainly had plenty of models audition for a spot in the semifinal round before you two came up here, and I got to say, no other model that came up here looks like either of you two. You're both striking in your own special ways," says Genma as he scratches the back of his neck. "I have not seen a professional model look like either of you two in my long career. "

"I'd say. Starting with you Hinata, when I saw you walking up the runway, to be honest, I thought you were blind," says Anko as she shot the indigo-haired girl an apologetic smile. "What's the story behind your eyes, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh . . . This is actually something that all the people in my clan tend to have. It's basically this genetic eye condition that makes us look like we're blind when we're actually not. Our eyes work like normal, down to the pupils, except our eyes are so pail that you can't actually see the pupils at first glance." Hinata calmly explains to them as she folded her hands in front of them.

"And Izuka, you have this look that makes you seem like you're an ice queen a first look," says Hayate as he points to me. "But as soon as you cracked your first smile in our presence, you just instantly warmed up. Like night and day."

"Is that mascara you're wearing, if you don't mind me asking?" Genma asks me as he looks at me curiously.

"It's actually not mascara, or eyeliner for that matter," I say with a shake of my head. "I'm a pretty bad chronic insomniac . . ."

"So those are insomnia rings around your eyes, and not mascara or eyeliner?" Anko asks me in shock. "Wow . . . You look wide awake to me. I saw none of the sleepiness or sluggishness you see in insomniacs when you walked."

"I try to not let my insomnia get the best of me," I say with a shake of my head. "It's something I've had for years now, and I haven't let insomnia affect my life throughout that time, and I'm not letting it affect me now. Sure, designers and agencies may think my look is a little too ice queen-ish for their liking, but I'm not going to let that stop me from becoming a professional model."

"I see, and what about you Hinata?" Anko says with a thoughtful look on her face as she turned her attention back on her. "Do you think the fashion world is ready for girls that have your kind of look?"

"I'm certain it is . . . The fashion world has always been known to introduce new trends practically every season. It's always ready for something new, something fresh, from clothes to models, and I believe I am one of the things that fashion world is looking for." Hinata says, her voice sounding confident and elegant at the same time. . . . She really did find her inner light.

"I see . . . Well then girls, if you can just please give me and my fellow judges one moment to discuss some things with each other." Genma says before quickly huddling up with his fellow judges. They were like this for the next two minutes, which made me a little antsy as we waited for them to finish. They eventually stop and look back at us with grins on their faces; Anko's had the biggest one of all.

"Hinata, Izuka, you really have given us a great first impression," says Anko as she weaved her fingers together. "We put both of your runway walks and what you've told us about yourselves into much consideration, and I think you two deserve it."

"Deserve what?" Hinata asks her in shock as I looked at them totally confused.

"You deserve to be in this competition," Anko says as her smile grew even bigger. "Congratulations you two; you both are being Fast Tracked to the semifinals!"

 **Please review!**


	3. The Semifinals

Chapter 3: The Semifinals

 _ **Weeks later**_

" _Congratulations you two; you both are being Fast Tracked to the semifinals!"_

Those 12 words sealed my fate.

Those 12 amazing words from all those weeks ago have brought me here, to Osaka International Airport, the meeting ground of the final 100 models of 'You Wanna Be on Top?'. I couldn't believe that I was actually Fast Tracked to the next round. Me, out of thousands of girls, was instantly moved on to the semifinals. I was absolutely on cloud nine when I heard those fateful words. I wanted to do a happy dance, but I figured it was rude to the other girls in the room, so I just did it once I got outside the building. Hey, you can't blame a girl for celebrating such an achievement can ya?

About one month ago, I received a letter from the producers of the competition that talked about the overview of the semifinals week, what I needed to pack for the competition, and my ticket for a flight to Osaka, one of the biggest cities in all of Japan. I've lived in the large Konoha neighborhood of Tokyo all my life. I've haven't been out of my hometown for more than two days, so coming to Osaka was going to be quite the stretch for me.

"Wow . . . I never realized Osaka's airport was this huge. It's not as big as Tokyo's, but it's still big nonetheless . . ." Naruto says with that cheeky grin on his face as I spot my purple luggage coming down the conveyor belt. Unlike me, Naruto didn't receive a Fast Track award during the casting call weeks ago, simply because all three awards that were offered on the boys' side were already awarded before he had a chance to audition. Ten days passes before he had got the call stating whether he was through or not.

"You do know this is just the smaller, domestic airport right?" I ask with a smirk as I pull my bag from off the belt. "Osaka has a second bigger airport that handles the cities international flights."

"Huh . . . Thanks for clearing that up for me," he tells me with a shrug as he plucks his orange suitcase from off the belt. My brother has a serious love for the color orange that it's not even funny. "So where are we supposed to go now again?"

"Well, the official letter says that as soon as we exit the airport, we're supposed to turn right and walk to the very end of the terminal. We will know where to wait for the competition once we get there," I say as I take out the paper from my pocket. Naruto simply nods his head before following me toward the exit. Once we get outside, we follow the letter's instructions and turn right. It didn't take us long to see a black and white sign with the words 'Semifinalists Wait Here!' in elegant curly script standing by the curb. Next to the sign were about 80 of our fellow competition. "Well then . . . I guess this is where we have to wait."

"And it looks like we don't have to wait that long either. Most of the competition is already here," Naruto says with a smirk as we observe the crowd. "Sis, what are you doing?"

"I'm looking to see if Hinata has made it here yet," I say as I scan the faces to see if any one of them was the indigo haired girl. "I told you about her, remember? She's the other model that earned the Fast Track award with me when it was our turn to audition."

"Oh . . . the girl that looks blind but really isn't? I remember you telling me that story," Naruto tells me with a smirk as he brings a hand to his chin. "When you were telling me that story, it reminded me of a long haired guy I met during the casting call. He also had pale eyes that made it look like he was blind."

"That was probably her cousin Neji you met. She told me that he was also auditioning that day," I say with a smirk as I see her walking over from down the terminal. A taller male with similar eyes to her own who must be her cousin was following about ten feet behind her. "Hi Hinata, it's so nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you two Izuka," she tells me with a slightly timid smile as we greet each other. When we finally break apart, Hinata turns to my brother, and I couldn't help but notice the slight blush that appears on her face as her pale, lavender tinted eyes look at Naruto's ocean blue ones. "Oh . . . Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Hinata."

"My name's Naruto. It's nice to meet you . . ." Naruto says as he lets out a nervous chuckle. "I'm . . . I'm Izuka's brother."

"Since when did you stutter?" I ask with a smirk on my face as I place my hands on my hips.

"Since . . . now." Naruto reluctantly says as he shakes his head. His comment earns him a small chuckle from Hinata, which looked to put him at ease just a little. "Hey Neji!"

"It's good to see you again Naruto," the long haired man says with a stoic look on his face. "I had a pretty good feeling that you were going to make it the semifinals. How long did you have to wait until you got the phone call?"

"10 days, unlike you, who got Fast Tracked here . . ." Naruto says with a shrug. "Most of the guys in that room figured you were a definite shoo in for one of those awards, mostly because of your eyes."

"I guess it was pretty obvious . . ." Neji says rather reluctantly as he turns to me. "You must be Naruto's sister Izuka. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too . . ." I say with a smirk as I spot another person walking over to us. She was dressed in a green top with a gold Chinese dragon design on its front, black knee length shorts, and black sandals. Her most noticeable feature was her dark brown hair, which was done up into two hair buns. Her brown eyes were directed right on Neji. "Uh, Neji, that girl with two hair buns is looking directly at you for some reason."

"Two hair buns you say?" he asks me as the girl suddenly hugs him from behind with a smile on her face. "Oh . . . Hi TenTen."

"It's nice to see you in the semifinals Neji. Hey Hinata!" the girl quickly says as she gives Hinata a hug. "I see you two have already been making some new friends without me."

"Naruto, Izuka, this is TenTen," Hinata decides to play medium as she gestures to us. "TenTen, this is Izuka and Naruto. They're siblings we met during our morning additions weeks ago."

"Nice to meet you both," TenTen says with a nod of her head. "Is all of our competition here? I'm ready to get this show on the road already."

"If I counted correctly, there's 97 of us here already," I say with as I look around the group of gathered models. "There's 100 people in the semifinals, so only three more people need to show up before anything else happens I guess."

"At least we don't have to wait long for them to show up . . ." Naruto says as his eyes stayed glued on the terminal walkway. "Cause here they come right now!"

We all turn our heads to see three people walking over to us with their luggage in tow. Despite the large differences in their outward appearances, I had a pretty good feeling they all were related in some way. The small group walking toward us comprised of two guys and one girl. The girl had sandy colored hair that was pulled up into four distinct pigtails, green eyes, and was dressed in a simple blue kimono top, black jeans, and black ankle boots. She carried an air around her that just read 'I'm the oldest and the smartest'!

The first guy behind her had shaggy brown hair, black eyes, and was dressed in a simple black t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He looked at us with an expression that was almost naturally serious, with his mouth already set in a straight line. The second guy behind him was probably the youngest of the three, and in my opinion, one of the hottest guys I've ever seen in my short life. Unlike the two people with him, he had vibrant red hair that looked auburn and was set in a spiky style that was similar to Naruto's own, except while most of my brother's hair went upward and to the sides, a sizeable amount of the redhead's hair covered his forehead like a typical bang. The kanji for love was tattooed on the side of his forehead that wasn't covered by hair and he was dressed very nicely in a dark red shirt, black leather jacket, black jeans, and black military style boots. Despite the tattoo and his bright red hair, I thought his eyes were his most distinct feature, not because of his striking jade green eyes, but because of the dark rings around them. Most people would think that it was all due to a heavy use of eyeliner, but I knew otherwise. It wasn't eyeliner . . .

. . . They were insomnia rings.

"I should have figured that the Sand Siblings were going to show up here . . ." TenTen says with a sheepish smirk on her face as she shook her head. "You guys heard about them right? They're the trio of siblings that all got Fast Tracked here."

"Oh yeah . . . I saw it on the official 'You Wanna Be on Top?' website," Naruto says as a look of realization shows up on his face. "They earned those awards after auditioning at the casting call in Fukuoka. I think there dad's the mayor of that city . . . right?"

"You would be right on that one Naruto," says Neji as he brings a hand to his chin. "Mayor Rasa Sabakuno of Fukuoka is their dad, and not only is he in the news there regularly because of his job, but his kids have also shown that they have quite the media presence."

"Why are his kids in the news so much?" I ask as I notice the redhead staring at me from the corner of my eye. His face remained stoic as his gaze lingered on me before turning back to his siblings, who were already walking toward the middle of the group of aspiring models.

"Well the girl, Temari, is known to be quite the genius. She has a very high IQ and is said to be one of the only people in the history of Fukuoka to score a perfect grade on her college entrance exams. The brunette, Kankuro, has been helping to build up the city's entertainment industry, namely in the theater district. And the youngest, Gaara, was known to be quite the troublemaker when he was younger. I don't think he's really doing much like his siblings have these days that would attract media attention, but it is said that he's gained somewhat of a cult following among the young female population in the city because of his good looks," TenTen tells us helpfully before Neji could say anything. "He's also known as a chronic insomniac, so he doesn't really sleep much."

"Huh . . . Just like you sis. You got something in common with that guy." Naruto says with a smirk as I shoot him a narrow eyed look.

"Uh . . . TenTen, how do you know all this?" Hinata asks the girl with a curious look on her face.

"I have my sources," TenTen answers her rather cryptically as she crosses her arms over her chest. "Let's just say that if you need to know something that's been in the media spotlight, I'm your go-to girl."

"That's good to know . . ." I say unsurely, just as the sounds of a loud bus horn bursts through the hushed atmosphere. Everyone turns their heads to see two coach buses pulling up beside us on the curb. One bus was purple while the other was painted blue, but both had the 'You Wanna Be on Top?' logo in its familiar fancy script painted right on their sides. "Oh great. Our ride's here."

As soon as the buses stopped, the doors on the first but opened up. Out of the bus comes two men in stylish clothing, gaining rapturous applause from all around, and I couldn't blame them. We were looking right at Kakashi Hatake and Yamato, the creative director and runway coach of 'You Wanna Be on Top?' These two are legends in the fashion industry, and just seeing them for our own eyes was amazing to say the least.

"Hello everyone," Yamato calls out to us as the crowd began to quiet down. "First of all, I would like to congratulate you all for making it this far! Out of thousands and thousands of applications, you all have been picked as our Top 100 semifinalists!"

"Some of you were Fast Tracked here, while others had to wait weeks to learn your fate," Kakashi says with a nod of his head, his voice sounding clear even with his well-known ninja mask covering the lower half of his face. "But despite the differences in how you made it, you guys are all here for the same thing: To win this competition!"

"This competition requires a lot of work, so I don't want to see any of you slacking. Many other models are wishing to be in your shoes right now, so I don't want to see any of you guys squandering this opportunity," Yamato warns us with a narrow eyed look, silencing everyone right in their tracks. "But for now, let's get down to business."

"As you can see, there are two buses behind Yamato and I. These two buses will be transporting us to the hotel that will be hosting this week's semifinals," says Kakashi as he gestures to the two large vehicles. "There are 50 girls and 50 guys, so we're going to split you up for a bit. The girls will be traveling with Yamato on the purple bus while the boys will be riding with me on the blue one."

"But before we get on board, it's time for us to do a little roll call," Yamato says with a grin as the two men each pull out a piece of paper from their pockets. "My lists contain all the girls' names and polaroid shots while Kakashi hold the list for the boys. When you hear your name, put your luggage into the compartments on the side of the bus and get on board . . . We do this just to make sure that the people that are supposed to be here are here."

"We've had instances in the past when people would sneak into the semifinals pretending to be semifinalists when they're not. It's never fun when that happens," Kakashi says with a sad shake of his head as he starts walking over to the blue bus. "Male models; please follow me over here."

"I wonder how many models are going to make it to the final stage though . . ." I hear Hinata mumble beside me as the boys began to follow Kakashi. "They change the number every year to make it unpredictable."

"Who knows?" I say with a shrug as Yamato says the first couple of names. "All I know is that it depends on how many people impress Kakashi, Yamato, and Tsunade. They determine who moves on and who doesn't."

"I just can't wait to meet Tsunade-sama," TenTen instantly gushes as she starts acting all fan girl on us. "She's one of my all-time favorite celebrities."

"I have the sudden feeling that you are going to probably break down into hysterics once you see her." I tell her bluntly as Hinata nods her head in agreement.

"I think you may be right on that one." TenTen reluctantly says in agreement as she calms down. Once Yamato was assured that all the girls were here, accounted for, and on the bus, he checked with Kakashi to make sure that all was well on the boys' side before telling the bus driver to start driving. Most of the ride was filled with the girls chatting with each other, being friendly, and sizing each other up, and while Hinata and TenTen talked with each other, I just looked out the window and enjoyed the view the city of Osaka gave me. With its tall skyscrapers, the city easily reminded of Tokyo, although it does look a little less crowded.

It takes us about 45 minutes to travel from the airport to the hotel, a 20 story skyscraper in the middle of downtown Osaka. Once we all disembarked the buses, we gathered our luggage and followed Kakashi and Yamato inside. The hotel lobby was sleek in design and silver and blue in color, featuring both modern and traditional elements of Japanese design and architecture. It was easy to picture celebrities and businessmen alike schmoozing and mingling around with each other in a place like this.

"Everyone, welcome to the Sapphire Osaka Hotel, a home of both business and leisure here in downtown Osaka," Yamato says with a smirk as he gestures to the building all around us. "This will be the home for you semifinalists throughout this week."

"As Yamato said, this hotel is known for being both a place of business and leisure. However, in your case everyone, it's mostly for business," Kakashi tells us with a narrow look of his eyes. "Over the course of this week, there will be cuts. We will be steadily losing models over the course of the semifinals. To put it simply, we will be losing most of you."

"That's so nice to know . . ." TenTen sarcastically whispers in my ear, and I couldn't help but shake my head in agreement. Eliminations were never fun.

"However, this is your first day, and the competition doesn't really start till tomorrow morning," Yamato says with a smirk. "So I suggest you rest up today and tonight because you have a lot ahead of you in the next few days."

"For now, check in at the main desk. Once you get your room assignments, head up to your suites and settle in," Kakashi says with a smirk as he points to the desk behind him. "Yamato and I will leave you here for now, but we will be seeing you guys again real soon. For now, goodbye and welcome to the competition everyone."

 **Please review!**


	4. Line Talk

Chapter 4: Line Talk

As soon as Kakashi and Yamato left the lobby, almost everyone made a mad dash for the check in desk, practically scaring the workers there half to death with the sudden onslaught. I quickly look around to see that Hinata, TenTen, Neji, the three Sabakuno siblings, and I were the only ones that hung back. I didn't need to look to see if Naruto was among the crowd. With his kind of personality, it's basically a no-brainer.

"I don't get it," Hinata finally says with a sigh, her voice momentarily breaking the silence that had befallen our little group. "Our rooms have already been assigned to us, and yet people are still rushing up to the desk as if the hotel's going to run out of available accommodations."

"Our rooms may have been arraigned for us, but our beds sure haven't," I say with a smirk as we watch as the crowd finally forms itself into a reasonable line. "It's pretty simple if you think about it. The hotel has definitely not arraigned for 100 rooms to be available to each and every semifinalist. We're definitely rooming with others, and people can get pretty picky when it comes to choosing their beds."

"I see where you're going with this. It's basically a case of 'first come, first serve'," TenTen says with a smirk as I nod my head in confirmation. "Whoever gets to their room first will get first pick of the beds . . . And now that I think about it, I'm kinda regretting not joining the line quick enough."

"This hotel has some real high standards to uphold, so I think a bad bed will be the least of your worries TenTen," Neji said in a rather sarcastic manner as we joined the line just behind the Sabakuno siblings. "What you really should be focusing on is this competition. I'd hate to see you go out in the first round because you weren't focused."

"Like I would ever let that happen," TenTen says with a megawatt smile. "There's no way I'm going out in the first round."

"I wouldn't get too cocky if I were you."

At the sound of the new voice, we all turn our heads to see Temari Sabakuno looking at us with a small smirk on her face. Her brother Kankuro was moving his gaze between us and the rest of the line while Gaara kept looking forward, as if his sister's sudden intrusion into our conversation wasn't worth his time.

"Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear your little conversation just now," Temari says with her smirk in place. "It's nice to show some confidence, but you don't want to show too much that it makes you sound cocky and arrogant."

"Like you're sounding right now?" TenTen couldn't help but ask as she rearranged her features into a composed façade. Temari looked slightly impressed, not showing that she was fazed in the slightest by TenTen's well said comeback.

"You think I sound cocky and arrogant?" Temari asked as she crossed her hands over her chest.

"Well you certainly look it from where I'm standing . . ." TenTen said with a small grin on her face, her voice still challenging as she continued to maintain eye contact with the Fukuoka native. "Let me ask you this: Are you this cocky and arrogant when you're at home?"

"You have no idea . . ." Kankuro whispers under his breath, but it was still loud enough that we all heard it. In response to his sudden admittance, Temari slapped him hard across his right shoulder. "C'mon sis . . . We both know you got a bit of an arrogant side to you."

"Still can't get over the fact that I have a higher IQ than you don't ya?" Temari asks her brother with the smallest of smirks on her face. Kankuro rolled his eyes at her, but that only made his sister smirk even more. "C'mon Kankuro, we both know you rolling your eyes is a dead giveaway that your annoyed over something."

"Yes . . . Yes, I admit that I get annoyed whenever you start showing off your intellect, just as much as you get annoyed when that Nara kid you always go up against in academic competitions beats you." Kankuro says as we all shuffle forward.

"I don't get annoyed when Shikamaru beats me," says Temari in her futile attempt to appear unbothered . . . She was failing miserably. We all stared at her unconvinced, except Gaara, who continued to look forward, giving no indication that he was even paying attention. After looking at each of our unconvinced faces, Temari quickly recanted her story. "Okay, so I do get annoyed when Shikamaru Nara beats me. I just don't understand how he does it! He's got to be one of the laziest people in all of Japan for crying out loud! He's so lazy that the only reason he even competes on the academic competition circuit is because his mom forces him to do it!"

"I'll be honest. I don't get how he does it either," Kankuro adds as he scratches the back of his neck. "He's even admitted that he doesn't even prepare for the competitions, not even on the night before. He just comes in; answers the questions, and wins, like it's the simplest thing in the world. No one could ever prove that he's cheated or not, which means he is either the most devious cheater known to man, or an absolute genius."

"Wait a minute . . . Shikamaru Nara. I've heard that name before," I say with a smirk as I bring a hand to my chin. "He's the son of one of the brightest professors at Tokyo University, and infamously known to wear his hair in a ponytail that makes his head look like a pineapple."

"You mean like that guy down the line, right next to the guy with the long spiky brown hair?" Hinata asks as she points forward. We follow her finger to see two guys about 20 people away talking to each other. The guy with the spiky brown hair was chowing down on a bag of chips as he listened to the other guy, whose dark hair was styled up in a ponytail that reminded me of the leaves you see on top of a certain tropical fruit. "Something like that, right?"

"Not just 'something like that' Hinata," I say as the ponytailed guy turned his head, giving us a good view of his profile. "That is him."

"I can't believe it!" Temari says in shock as she eyed him out of absolute irritation. "Shikamaru Nara is here! He's actually here! He's not interested in anything! Why the hell would he be here!?"

"Maybe his mother forced him to do this too?" Kankuro suggested with a smirk as we continued to move forward. Temari's eyes were like piercing daggers as she stared at her brother, who quickly averts his eyes so that he wouldn't see her cold stare. "Pretend I didn't even ask."

"You shouldn't be focusing on him so much Temari."

Our attention moves from the blonde Sabakuno to the redheaded Sabakuno as soon as we hear his voice, and damn his voice is deep! He has a voice of a man in his thirties, and yet he doesn't even look older than 20, tops. And it's so damn smooth too! No wonder he's been gaining a cult following among the girls in his hometown . . .

"Gaara . . ." Temari said unsurely, as if she didn't have any idea on what to make of her brother's interruption. "You were listening to our conversation?"

"How could I not? I've been standing right here the entire time," he tells her simply as he turns his head to face us better. "Although I must admit, I usually don't butt in to trivial conversations just like this . . . Excuse the interruption."

"He's dressed like he's part of a biker gang, yet speaks in the tongue of a perfect gentleman," Kankuro says with a shrug, obviously being used to how his brother acts toward other people. "That's basically our little brother in a nutshell for ya folks."

"As I was saying before, Temari, you shouldn't be so hung up on the fact that Shikamaru Nara is here," Gaara continued on, ignoring his brother's commentary. "So what if Shikamaru is a semifinalist? You should be more concerned with yourself sis. If you want to make it far in this competition, you need to focus on yourself and not on one other guy."

"Unless she likes him . . ." Kankuro quickly said, narrowly dodging an elbow to the gut, courtesy from his seething sister. "All I'm saying is that it's possible, and that's it. Sue me!"

"Huh . . . This conversation has really gone into a different direction hasn't it?" Neji says as he crosses his arms. "It went from TenTen and Temari trading barbs with each other to Temari being called out by her own younger brother about needing to focus more."

"To be honest, I'm completely over it anyway," TenTen says with a small shake of her head. "All I want to do is go upstairs, get to my room, and claim my bed already!"

* * *

~X~X~X~

"Alright girls, here we are! Suite 9-K!" Temari says with a confident grin on her face as we finally reached the room. It was the last door on the eastern side of the hotel's 9th floor, the floor being the designated 'girls wing'. The 10th floor belonged to the boys. "Now then, I think it's best if we just walked into the room in an orderly fashion rather than fight with each other on the way in."

"Is this your way of raising your chances in getting a better bed, because if it is; you're not hiding it well," TenTen says with a skeptical look on her face. "If you ask me, I suggest we just go with the 'first come, first serve' approach. It's survival of the fittest, and to the loser goes the spoils. That's what my Mom always used to say."

"You're only saying that because you want to rush in there and claim the first bed you see," Temari growls out as she slides the room key through the lock. As soon as she opens the door, TenTen barrels right past her and into the room with her luggage in tow, making the Fukuoka native scowl even more. "See what I mean?!"

"Hey! I never said you were wrong did I?" TenTen calls back as we hear a door slam shut inside. Temari mumbles some rather vulgar words to herself before stomping into the room, leaving Hinata and I alone in the hallway.

"Those two don't seem to get along with each other very well." Hinata tells me with a sheepish look on her face as she walks into the suite.

"Let's just hope they don't end up killing each other any time this week," I say with a sigh as I bring up the rear. I close the door behind me before joining the others in the middle of the suite. "I don't want to be called up to be a witness in a murder trial anytime soon okay?"

"Duly noted . . ." Temari grumbles as she crosses her arms. "Alright then, TenTen has made it quite clear that the main bedroom is going to be hers. That room only has one bed, which just leaves the two beds in the other bedroom up for grabs."

"Then that means one of us would either have to share with TenTen, since the main bedroom always has the bigger bed, or sleep on the couch." Hinata concludes as she snuck a look at the couch.

"How bout I just save us the trouble and take the couch for myself?" I suggest as I throw my bag right onto the cushions. "I'm an insomniac, therefore I barely sleep. So technically, in a way, I need the bed the least since I'm up most of the night anyway."

"That seems reasonable enough for me," TenTen says with a smirk before walking into the kitchen. "Right now, I want a drink."

"Are you sure about this Izuka?" Hinata asks me with an unsure look on her face. "You don't need to sleep on the couch. You could badger TenTen about sharing the master bed with each other."

"That's okay Hinata. I barely sleep so why bother anyway?" I say with a chuckle as I walk into the kitchen to see TenTen reading a notecard. "What's with the notecard, TenTen?"

"We got Tsunade Mail!" she exclaims with a cheery grin as she waves the card in the air. Temari and Hinata both run into the room at that moment, their eyes going straight to the item in question. "Models, Congrats on making it to the semifinals. Make sure to dress your best tomorrow because you'll be walking it out to keep your spot in the competition. Cuts are coming, so be at your best. Love, Tsunade."

"'Walking it out' can only mean one thing," Temari mumbles as she brings a hand to her chin. "We're doing runway tomorrow!"

"I wonder how many people are going to be cut after the first round though," Hinata whispers, but it wasn't low enough that the rest of us couldn't hear it. "The thought of eliminations really makes me worry. . ."

"Don't sweat it Hinata!" TenTen exclaims with a grin on her face. "As long as you do your damn best, you shouldn't have any problem moving on to the next round."

"I hate to admit it, but TenTen does make a good point," Temari reluctantly admits, slightly scowling when the double bun wearing model shoots her a victorious grin. "Besides, you'll never get anywhere without trying your hardest first."

"Agree or disagree, that's some good advice," I say with a small nod of my head. "All I know for sure is one thing. Tomorrow, the real work begins."

 **Please review!**


	5. Round One Runway

**Sorry about the wait. I have been a bit busy these past few weeks!**

Chapter 5: Round One Runway

 _ **The next day**_

"Are you girls ready to go yet?!" I call out into the suite as I stand by the door. Just like how the Tsunade Mail advised us, I was dressed at my very fashionable best in my white halter top with lace detailing, skinny jeans, black blazer and, of course, my black suede pumps. I decided to go simple, with a little bit of detail, because after all my years of following this competition, one thing I've learned is that simplicity always works in the models' favor when it comes to making a good impression.

"I'm all ready to go!" TenTen exclaims as she finally walks out of the master bedroom. She was dressed in a black top with sheer long sleeves, white shorts, and black wedge heels and her hair was in its signature two bun style. "I promise I didn't take that long. On the other hand, I can't say the same for Temari and Hinata."

"Keep your commentary to yourself TenTen," Temari says with a hint of annoyance in her tone as she and Hinata finally emerged from their room. Temari was dressed in a simple kimono-style blue dress with silver heels while Hinata was dressed in a sleeveless lavender dress with silver Mary Jane pumps. Hinata kept her hair down while Temari had her hair up again in her unique four pigtails. "I don't need your words bumming my mood. I have enough things to worry about today without you adding on to it."

"Girl, we all have enough things to worry about today," TenTen says with a smirk as we step out into the hallway. "We're showing off our runway skills to some of the best in the business today! Yamato, aka, Mr. Runway, is always present when it comes to evaluating the semifinal runway round, and if you've followed this competition over the years just as much as I have, you know Mr. Yamato is not one for playing games when it comes to runway."

"I can't help but agree with you on that one," I say with a smirk as we reached the elevators, where another group of semifinalists were already waiting. "Yamato has helped to improve the walks of some of the most famous models that are working right now. Modeling agencies pay him at a high price for his services and expertise, so he's definitely someone that knows what he's doing."

"Are you kidding me? Yamato can get so finicky with a person's walk, that he'll call a person out mid stride, especially if their walk is, well, absolutely terrible," Temari says with a small shake of her head. "I remember watching the show like five years ago during the semifinals. He made six different girls cry with his critiques. Then again, there walks were really bad, so I have to give him that. But still, Yamato has proven in the past that he can be a tough judge."

"I just hope he doesn't pull that face he does when he's in one of his weird moods," Hinata mumbles as the elevator doors finally slide open, revealing that the cart was empty. "It's just so . . . creepy, like it deserves its own moment in a horror movie."

"Oh yeah, I know that kind of face you're talking about," TenTen grumbles as we enter the elevator. "Yeah, I've seen him showing it off on TV before . . . That face he pulls sometimes is just plain weird."

We ride the elevator down to the second floor and follow the signs to the hotel's conference room. As soon as we stepped into the large area, our eyes instantly went to the long black runway that was in the middle of the floor, surrounded on either side by the rest of the competition.

"Yep, yep . . . This is definitely a runway challenge," I say as I eye the long structure before us. "How many of us are already here?"

"Probably most of the field," Temari answers me with a shrug as she looks around the room. "Girls, I see Neji and the others right by the back part of the runway."

"Then what are we waiting for?" TenTen asks a little too eagerly as she starts making her way over to them. "Let's go keep them company!"

"I never realized how chipper TenTen can be in the morning. . ." I couldn't help but say as we followed after her.

"She's just happy to see Neji again," Temari replies with a shrug as we trek the short distance over to the boys, narrowly avoiding our fellow models as they practiced their walks. "She must have feelings for him, you know? Not the 'friend' kind of feelings . . . More like the feelings you have for a person when you think about them as 'more than a friend'. You know what I mean?"

"I get the idea," I say with a smirk as we finally reach the rest of our motley crew. While Neji, Gaara, and Kankuro greeted each other friendly hellos, Naruto greets us with a big smile, but as soon as his eyes landed on Hinata, it wavered, mostly out of sudden nervousness as a small blush started to show on his face. I guess TenTen isn't the only one who has 'feelings' for someone else in this competition. "So boys, do you have any idea how long it'll be before the runway round begins?"

"It's supposed to start any minute now," Kankuro answers with a smirk. "I guess it all depends on how long it'll be before Yamato and the other judges show up."

"Can everyone gather around the runway please!?"

"And speaking of the runway coach . . ." Gaara says with a sigh as all of our heads turn to the entrance, just in time to see Yamato and Kakashi walk into the room, dressed stylishly as always. "I guess we didn't have to wait long after all."

"Gather round everybody! Gather round!" Yamato exclaims as he and Kakashi walk up a small staircase onto the runway platform. "Hello again models! I hope you've all got some well needed rest last night, because you will definitely need it to perform at your very best today!"

"Today, you will be doing a runway challenge, which will be overseen by Yamato and myself," Kakashi explains to us, his expression unreadable thanks to his mask. "Right after your runway challenge, you will be doing your first photoshoot in the other conference room down the hallway. I'll tell you the rest of the details once the runway challenge is over."

"Now then, you all had to walk for judges back in the preliminary rounds. All of those walks, as well as your auditions themselves, had been videotaped for review by me, Kakashi, and of course, Lady Tsunade," explains Yamato as he eyed all of us with a smirk on his face. "The three of us have decided that this challenge will be split into three rounds. One round will comprise of all the girls, another round will be guys only. . ."

"And our third round will have you all pair up, basically one guy with one girl. No single gender pairings are allowed," Kakashi says while wagging his finger. "Right now, we'll start with the paring round first. We are going to give you one minute, and one minute only, to find yourselves a partner."

"And remember, your partner has to be of the _opposite_ gender," Yamato reminds us with a grin. "One minute is all you're going to get. Ready . . . Go!"

"I call Neji!" TenTen quickly tells us as she quickly wraps her arms around one of Neji's own, catching the Hyuga completely off guard, as well as the rest of us. "What? He's taken. Go find your own partners."

"Huh . . . Should have figured you were going to pull something like this once the opportunity revealed itself," grumbles Temari as she shoots TenTen a pointed look before turning to Kankuro. "Kankuro, let's be partners."

"I guess that's okay . . ." mumbles the middle sibling as he shoots a look Naruto and Hinata's way. Judging from how close they were and how they were whispering between each other, I think it was safe to say that those two were going to work together for this challenge. "Gaara, I guess that leaves you with Izuka."

"Why do you say that as if there's no one else available?" Gaara couldn't help but ask as he shoots his brunette brother a blank look.

"Because there is no one else," Kankuro says with a smirk as he gestures to the rest of the playing field. Basically everyone else had found a partner except for Gaara and myself. "Everyone else got themselves a partner. You and Izuka are basically forced to team up now. Hopefully, neither of you two will suddenly fall asleep on the runway while you're walking."

"Very funny Kankuro . . ." Gaara grumbles for a reply before turning to me. "I'm sorry about my brother."

"Don't be. I have a brother of my own, and he can get just as annoying as yours," I tell him with a smirk. Naruto obviously heard my comment, because now he was staring daggers right at me. "What? You know it's true! Don't you dare deny it!"

"Time's up everybody!" Yamato exclaims before Naruto could even say a word. "Everyone please line up in front of the staircase. The sooner you get yourselves in order, the sooner we can start this challenge."

Everyone moved for the staircase before Yamato could even finish his last sentence. Some teams instantly, and eagerly, headed for the front of the line, confident enough to take the challenge head on. Others waited until the last stretch of the line began to form before joining in, most likely because they either wanted to be the ones that make the good lasting impression with the judges, or because they are very reluctant and nervous to take their turn on the runway. When the line finally was formed out of the 50 impromptu teams, TenTen and Neji were more toward the front of the line, Hinata and Naruto and Gaara and I were in the middle, and Kankuro and Temari were close to the end of the line.

"I should've figured that TenTen would drag Neji toward the front of the line . . ." I mumble under my breath as I look at the line in front of us. "I'm a little shocked Naruto didn't do the same thing with Hinata."

"He's probably being considerate of her feelings," Gaara responds as we both sneak a look at my brother and Hinata, who were only standing a good five pairs behind us. "I bet you he wanted to be up there in the front of the line, but he must have figured that wasn't what Hinata wanted so he thought staying in the middle would be a much better option."

"That does sound plausible . . ." I say as I bring a hand to my chin. "And you sound like you've seen this kind of thing before . . ."

"Not really . . . I'm just very observant, that's all," Gaara simply responds as some techno music began to pulsate out from the room's speakers. "I tend to notice a lot of things; some that are more interesting than others . . ."

"I see . . ." I say as I look at him with a slightly curious gaze, just as the first pair of models began to make their way down the runway. Unfortunately, the two of them were definitely not in sync. The boy was walking a good three paces ahead of the girl. "Have you notice anything interesting in the competition so far?"

"A few things, here and there . . ." he tells me with the smallest of shrugs, his voice sounding so smooth and clear despite the loud music. "You are one of those things."

"Oh really?" I ask with an eyebrow raised. "And why have I caught your attention? Is there something on my face that I'm not aware about?"

"Something like that," Gaara tells me as the line begins to shuffle forward. "It's your eyes. I knew there was something different about them when I first saw you back outside of the airport. I thought you were wearing too much makeup at first, but now I know I was totally wrong with that assumption. You're an insomniac, just like me."

"The only other one in this competition, well, from what I've seen in the competition so far. . ." I say as I let out a small breath. "I haven't seen any other insomniacs besides the two of us, but I have seen a couple of strange characters here and there . . ."

"Like the girl with the pink hair?" Gaara asks as he points to the one in question just a few pairs of models ahead of us. "Sakura's her name right?"

"That's correct. FYI, don't question her hair color straight to her face. She's very sensitive about it," I quickly warn him as we watch Sakura speak with her partner. She apparently didn't look too pleased with her partner, a bushy browed guy with a severe bowl cut, who was dressed all in green sportswear. "A few of the girls on my floor barely got any sleep last night after Sakura argued with this other girl who said her hair color was fake. They were this close to trading blows!"

"I see . . . Tell me, did this girl happen to be a blonde with her hair styled into a really long ponytail?" Gaara suddenly asks me as another pair of models strut their stuff on the runway. They narrowly missed bumping into each other a couple of times while they walked. I simply shake my head yes to answer his question. "I know exactly who you are talking about. The girl who was arguing with Sakura . . . Her name is Ino, and the only reason I know this is because she was berating me with it, as well as with her flirtatious commentary, when she was on the boys' floor yesterday."

"Oh . . . So she was there to flirt with you huh?" I ask as I spot Ino and her partner, a feral looking guy with tousled brown hair, stepping onto the runway. "Did you even bother giving her the time of day?"

"Not in the slightest . . . It took her a good forty five minutes to realize her futile flirting wasn't going to work on me," Gaara says with a small sigh. "Then she moved onto other prey . . . Those poor souls."

"You sounded a little frustrated when you were describing your "encounter" with Ino just now," I quickly point out as Ino and the feral guy walked the runway. If I had to describe their performance in a simple phrase, I would call it "Beauty and the Beast", emphasis on Beast because the guy wasn't really walking down the runway. He was prowling, like a wild dog. "I figured you were used to this kind of thing considering the cult following you got back in your hometown."

"How do you know about that?" he suddenly asks, shock slightly apparent in his tone as his eyes widen just for a miniscule second.

"I found out from TenTen. Apparently, she has a vast knowledge when it comes to things that have gained media attention," I tell him with a chuckle. "So, how long have you had insomnia?"

"For as long as I could remember . . . You?"

"Ever since I was a little kid, which does sound a bit unhealthy when you think about it . . ." I mused as a thoughtful look starts to show on my face.

"But yet here you are now, acting perfectly normal," Gaara simply replies as he gestures around us. "Well as perfectly normal as a modeling competition can get. . ."

"Definitely . . ." I say as we continue to inch closer to the front. "So, I think it's pretty obvious that Yamato and Kakashi are looking to see how well we work together in this round . . ."

"I think you're right. There will be runways out there where models will have to walk two at a time, sometimes three . . ." Gaara thoughtfully replies as we watch as Neji and TenTen take their turn on the runway. To be honest, as we watch them walk, I had to admit. They are working pretty well together up there. "I think if we just do our strongest walks and basically feed off each other's energy, we should do well."

"I hope Yamato at least notices the energy we'll put into our walks. I seriously don't want to hear him say you were a bit sleepy on the runway or something like that. . ." I say with a shake of my head. "That so wouldn't be a good first impression to make with Yamato."

"You're not wrong on that one," Gaara says in complete agreement and as soon as I looked at his face, I couldn't help but note the tiny bit of nervousness that was showing in his eyes. "But I still think that we can do fine. Well, at least I hope so . . ."

"I hope so too . . ." I say with a sheepish look as we continue to near the front of the line. "I seriously hope so too."

 **Please review!**


	6. Walk, Strut, Stride

Chapter 6: Walk, Strut, Stride

It didn't take us long to reach the front of the line. Gaara and I stood right at the top of the steps as we watched the pair right before us take their turn on the runway. The boy, a pale, thin guy with snow white hair, was walking just fine, his nonchalant gait somehow working on the runway. His partner on the other hand, an olive skinned girl with stringy, black hair, was having trouble staying upright in her six inch platform stilettos. She almost fell off the stage twice before she even reached the end of the platform.

"Are you ready?" I whisper to Gaara as the pair made their way back to our position, butterflies absolutely fluttering in my stomach as I tried to keep my nervousness down. Out on the runway, the white haired kid was looking quite triumphant as he walked back to us, while the girl was futilely trying not to cry.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Is the reply I hear from him as the pair reached our position, but his statement sounded forced, giving me a hint on how truly calm he was. The attendant that was signaling when the pairs were supposed to take their turns on the runway gave us our signal to go, and Gaara and I didn't hesitate to move.

I stand up straight and walk confidently down the runway, keeping a steady pace as I step to the rhythm of the music. From the corner of my eye, I see that Gaara's actually right at my side matching me step for step. However, in my opinion, I think he can just loosen up a little. He looks a tiny bit stiff if you ask me.

Kakashi and Yamato were standing a few feet from the end of the runway, their faces absolutely unreadable as Gaara and I struck our poses. Turning our backs on the two judges, Gaara and I both walk back to the starting point, keeping our momentum up the entire way. . .

. . . Well, we kept our momentum up until we finally got off the runway. That's when we both took in a collective sigh of relief, the two of us glad that we got through that challenge relatively unscathed.

"That's probably one of the most nerve racking things I've ever done in my entire life, but I'm glad we got that first part out of the way," I say as I let out a breath. "What do you think the judges' opinion will be on our performance?"

"I'm not sure, but I think I saw one of the corners of Yamato's lips go up as I was turning," Gaara says with a shrug as I turn my eyes to the runway. "If he was smirking, then maybe it's a good sign."

"I hope that is the case," I say with a nod as Neji and TenTen walk over to our position. "Hey guys! How was it when it was your turn on the runway?"

"It was both exhilarating and downright scary at the same time," says TenTen as she shakes her head. "To be honest, all I was thinking about on that runway was not falling flat on my face right in front of the judges."

"Yeah, it doesn't help when two of the people deciding on whether you go home or go on to the finals is standing right at the end of the runway silently scrutinizing your every move," Neji adds as I see that Hinata and Naruto have made it to the front of the line. "Hopefully the fact that Yamato and Kakashi are scrutinizing us so closely doesn't affect Hinata too bad. She has a habit of buckling under the pressure sometimes . . ."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much . . ." I wisely say as my brother and Neji's cousin take their turn on the runway. Contrary to my earlier beliefs, Naruto doesn't make a complete fool of himself as he walks down the runway. He's entirely composed . . . well, except for the part where he stops himself from smiling every five seconds. As for Hinata, gone is the slightly timid girl and in her place walks a confident model-in-training with her head held high, her steps not shaky at all as she made her way down the runway.

I sneak a look at Neji just to see what his reaction to his cousin would be, and I got to say, I'm not disappointed one bit. The Hyuga's mouth is slightly agape as he stares at his cousin, most likely shocked at how different she was acting from what he probably had predicted. TenTen was watching the scene with a smile on her face. And as for the rest of our competition, their eyes were practically glued to the elevated platform, most of their faces more so on Hinata than on Naruto. I could tell from looking at a few of them that they were now starting to think that the indigo-haired Hyuga was actually going to be some stiff competition for them, which is something I don't blame them for.

"That was something unexpected. I haven't seen her act like this before . . ." Neji mumbles as our respective relatives finally make it off the stage. He then turns to me with an unsure look on his face. "You . . . you knew something like this was going to happen, didn't you?"

"Well yeah . . . I kinda did," I say with a chuckle. "We were put in the same pairing when we first tried out for this competition. So, yeah, I have seen this side of Hinata before today."

"So you two had to walk together? Damn, I couldn't imagine what the other models were thinking when they saw you and Hina-chan walking together during the preliminaries," TenTen says with a disbelieving shake of her head. "I'll be honest. In my opinion, I think you and Hinata have two of the strongest walks on the girls' side. It probably was intimidating for them if you ask me."

"Do you really think so?" I ask as Naruto and Hinata finally rejoin our little clique.

"I usually don't think so. I know so." TenTen says with a smug look on her face as she turns to my brother. "And Naruto, we all know you were so trying not to smile on that runway just now. You were fixing your face every chance you had!"

"I couldn't help myself! I'm just naturally a smiler. I'm not used to scowling so much. Frowning yes, scowling, no." My brother quickly explains himself as another pair takes on the runway.

"We can talk about my brother's inability to hold a scowl later," I say with a smirk as I turn my eyes to the runway, narrowly missing the annoyed look Naruto was sending my way in the process. "Let's check on the rest of our competition first before we start nitpicking each other."

Everyone nods their heads in agreement before focusing on the rest of the competition, and I got to say this: the competition is very mixed this year. Most of the other models that were left had runway walks that ranged from good to decent. Only a few of them really stood out to me.

There was the redheaded girl with glasses that put way too much hip movement in her strut. There was a very pale, back haired boy who moved a little too robotically for my liking. Temari and Kankuro proved that they shouldn't be messed with during their turn on the ramp, displaying some pretty impressive runway skills of their own. But there was this one contestant that got mine, as well as everyone else's attention, the most so far.

He was the male half of the last pairing of the round. He had pale skin and had the darkest eyes I had ever seen on a person. His hair was raven colored with bluish highlights mixed in, but it was styled in such a strange way that it has to be seen to be believed. Bangs crowned either side of his face while the rest of his short, spiky hair jutted out from the back of his head. In all honesty, it looked like he modeled his hair after a duck's ass.

But aside from his weird hair styling choices, this guy had a presence on the runway that could be described as . . . slightly _intimidating_ at best. He took command of the runway from his very first step, his confidence bordering cockiness as he moved with suaveness and determination. His partner, a pale girl with violet colored hair, was more like a minion than a partner. She tried to follow as best as she could in order to keep up, but she was left in his dust as he walked at least two full paces ahead of her. When he reached the end of the runway, he took his time to do his poses, making sure to lock eyes with every single one of us. His eyes ended up lingering on a few of us more than others, including myself. His partner caught up with him as he was in midway through his third pose, but she had to rush through her poses in order to keep pace with her partner, who was already making his way back to the other end of the platform.

"Who was that guy?" I hear Gaara ask on my left. From the corner of my eye, I saw that his eyes were slightly narrowed in annoyance, which I thought was pretty cute in a way. "Did you all see how he acted on the runway just now?"

"He did seem quite full of himself, didn't he . . ." Neji mumbles as he brings a hand to his chin, just as a look of realization appeared on TenTen's face. "TenTen, why do I have the sudden feeling that you know something about that guy that the rest of us probably don't?"

"Because I do, now that I got a good look at him. How could I ever forget that kind of hairstyle?" she tells us as her eyes follow the mystery model as he walks down the steps. "That's Sasuke Uchiha."

"WHAT? _The_ Sasuke Uchiha?" Temari asks as she looks at TenTen in sudden shock. "Damn, I didn't recognize him at first! It's been years since we've been in the same room together. It must be the hair. It was never like that the last time I saw him . . ."

"You guys know him?" I ask as I turn to three Fukuoka natives.

"Not personally . . ." says Kankuro as he shakes his head. "We know Sasuke's family through the political circles. His family was actually quite the donors for our dad's campaign in the last election year. His brother Itachi is a pretty nice guy, but Sasuke is much more of the _aloof_ kind of fella, with a seriously arrogant side to him, well, most of the time from what I've heard. And from what I've seen of him before, he's not much for being sociable."

"If Sasuke's family were quite the donors for your dad's campaign, then he must come from a wealthy background . . ." Naruto mumbles as he watches as some of the girls start to crowd around the Uchiha.

"Wealthy? Try nobility Naruto," TenTen says with a shake of her head. "His family is one of the oldest in all of Japan. They trace their routes back for centuries and come from a straight up old school noble background. However, they use their money to help in the country's civil service sector, mainly in the city police departments all across the land."

"So, in a way, the Uchihas have practically all of Japan's police force right in their back pocket right?" I couldn't help but ask as Sasuke doesn't even pay any of the girls that are crowding him no mind.

"In a way, yeah, if you want to be blunt about it," says Kankuro as he brushes a hand through his brown hair. "Anyway, like I've said, Sasuke's not really the sociable type, so if you were planning to become friends with him, you may want to change those plans."

"Duly noted . . ." Naruto says with a scowl on his face as he again turns to Sasuke. It was at that moment the Uchiha turned to our little group, his dark eyes noticing my brother's irritated stare in an instant. In response to my brother's gaze, Sasuke simply shoots him a superior smirk in return, which only works to peeve off my brother even more. "I'm seriously starting not to like that guy."

"Don't let him get under your skin too much big bro," I say as I give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You have bigger things to focus on than just some rich boy with a weird hairstyle."

"Everybody, listen up!" Yamato's suddenly loud voice exclaims into the room, gaining everyone's attention in an instant. "I hope you all enjoyed your little spin on the runway just now, and I've got to say this. . . Some of you teams did better than others, much better in certain cases."

"However, Yamato and I both agree that you all still need some work, but then again, that's what we're here for. We're here to help you all in your goal in becoming successful models," Kakashi states before Yamato could get another word in. "Anyway we still have a lot more to do today. We still have the individual rounds to go and the photoshoot session to get through."

"The second and third rounds will be happening consecutively, with the girls going first, and then the boys going right afterward," Yamato says as he shoots Kakashi a nasty look for cutting him off earlier. "Alright models! LINE UP!"

It ends up being a mad dash to the stairs as most of the girls jockey for a good position on line. Temari, TenTen, Hinata, and I eventually ended up in the middle portion of the girls' side of the line, which was probably for the best. With all the pushing and shoving on either end of our section, neither the front, nor the back, looked tempting to join.

"You would think people would be a little more reluctant to rejoin the line after the first round, but people are still excited as ever," Temari couldn't help but say from the back of our little group. Before her were Hinata, then TenTen, and then finally me at the head of our little group. "I guess people want to prove that their better than what they showed in the first round."

"That does sound like some pretty plausible reasoning," TenTen says with the simplest of shrugs. "I just can't wait for our photoshoot session though! Photoshoots are my biggest strength, runway, not so much."

"You shouldn't mention your strengths and weaknesses so quickly TenTen," Hinata chastises as she shakes her head. "My father has always said that it's better to let others figure out your strengths and weaknesses on their own, rather than advertising it for the whole room to hear."

"That's actually sounds like some pretty sound advice," I couldn't help but say as I turn to the pale eyed model. "Your father sounds like a smart man."

"He is, but don't say that to his face," Hinata says as she crosses her arms over her chest. "My father has a tendency to get, well, _snooty_ when someone states the obvious to him."

"Sounds like someone else I know," mumbles Temari as she shoots a quick glance at her brothers, who were standing way back at the very end of the line with Neji and Naruto. "But he's not really snooty, just a bit stuck up at times."

"I heard that Temari!" came Gaara's reply from the back of the line, which is quite impressive, considering how noisy the room is with the talking and the music that was playing. Gaara must have some really good hearing.

"See! He even sounds like a stuck up right now!" says Temari as she points to her brother. "You act stuck up sometimes little bro, but I still love ya!"

I shake my head as I turn to face in front once again, tuning out the laughter and the conversations as I moved so I could get my head in the zone.

"At least we know that the sibling dynamic between you two is ok . . ."

 **Please review!**


	7. Snack Party

Chapter 7: Snack Party

"Well, this has been a very fun day . . ." Temari sarcastically says as we all walked into our suite after a hard day's work. "We got through multiple rounds of runway and then we went through a photoshoot session with Kakashi. And let me just say this: I had never seen so many professional photographers together in one room till today."

"Ten photographers to photograph ten models each, and each model was only allowed five close up shots and five full body frames to work with," TenTen further adds as she kicks off her heels. "At least we didn't have to wait too long for our turns . . . I just hope that I didn't look like I was thinking too much in my photos. That's always a big no-no in this competition."

"It's like you read my mind . . ." I say with a smirk as I close the door behind us. "There's a difference between posing while feeling and posing while thinking, and I think I may have leaned toward the thinking side during my turn."

"It's pretty simple if you ask me," chimes in Hinata as she sits down on the couch. "When it comes to posing while feeling, you just have to really focus on the emotion or idea you and the photographer are trying to convey. When you're posing while thinking, you're way to focused on how you want to pose more than anything else."

"You make it sound so easy Hinata, and you made it look easy too," Temari says with a hint of jealousy in her tone. "I saw you during your session girl. You were basically making love to the camera, as if that device was the only thing in the world. You made it seem so natural, so effortless."

"I'm not going to say I'm a natural or anything. It was ten frames after all . . . I'm chalking this one up to beginner's luck." Hinata quickly says in her defense as we suddenly hear knocking from the front door.

"Now who could that be?" mumbles TenTen as we all turn our heads to the door. "You don't think they've decided on who's going to be cut first already do ya?"

"No way . . . They have to decide who's going on to the next round from the 100 models still in this competition, and that's going to take them a while to get through all those names. It's still too early for the first cuts to happen," I say as I walk back over to the door. "My best guess: Complimentary room service."

"I'm betting it's in room massages! Please let it be massages!" TenTen exclaims as Temari shakes her head in agreement. I simply shrug at her response before clutching the knob and swinging the door open, revealing that it wasn't room service or a masseuse. It was Naruto, Kankuro, Gaara, and Neji, and Naruto and Kankuro were carrying bags of snacks in their hands while Gaara held the drinks. "Boys? What are you guys doing here?"

"You guys came up here so soon after the photoshoot was over, that you never stayed behind to learn that the hotel was offering us models this huge table worth of snacks as a complimentary gift," explains Kankuro as he and Naruto showed off the stuff they managed to gather. "So, we thought we bring up a few goodies to your room and hold a little snack party."

"Don't worry, according to the hotel worker that was overseeing the table, none of the snacks that were offered are really that fattening, mostly low calorie stuff," Gaara quickly says as he held up the packs of soda cans he held. "So, can we come in?"

"Let them in Izuka," I hear Temari say from somewhere behind me. "It'll be nice to let loose for a little bit. Plus, this is probably our last chance to eat junk food like this as the competition goes on."

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess you make a good point . . . Come on in boys!"

I move to the side, letting the boys walk in one by one before I closed the door behind us. Kankuro and Naruto quickly dump all the snacks they gathered onto the coffee table, spreading the large bounty they brought across the table's surface. TenTen didn't bother waiting any longer as she quickly grabbed the bag of mini pretzels. Conveniently enough, Temari grabbed the exact same bag.

"Are you even planning to share these pretzels?" Temari asked with a tense look on her face. "This is the only bag of mini pretzels after all."

"Of course I will. I just wanted first choice, that's all," TenTen quickly replies with a sickeningly sweet smile, which ended up inciting a small growl from Temari in return. "Is letting me have first choice that problematic for you?"

"It is if you're going to hog all the unbroken pieces for yourself." Temari quickly says back as the two start using the bag for an impromptu game of tug-of-war.

"I never realized that TenTen and Temari liked pretzels so much," I couldn't help but say as the rest of us stood off to the side as the tugging match continued. "If they keep this up, the pretzel bag is going to rip for sure."

"So much for the snack party having a fun beginning . . ." my brother further adds as he scratches the back of his neck. "Anyone have any ideas on how to stop them?"

"I think I may have one," says Neji as he turns to Hinata. "Cousin, care to assist me on this one?"

"Oh . . . sure," the indigo-haired Hyuga quickly says in return as she follows Neji's lead. Neji whispers something low in her ear before walking over to stand behind TenTen. As soon as Hinata is standing behind Temari, the two Hyugas reached out and pinched the two girls along the area where their necks met their right clavicles. Temari and TenTen ended up visibly relaxing in their grips. The two ended up letting go of the poor bag of pretzels, letting the package drop straight down to the floor. ". . . There, that should do it."

"What the hell did you just do to them?" Kankuro ends up asking for all of us as the Hyugas eased the relaxed girls onto the couch. "They look as cool as cucumbers right now."

"Well, for starters, our family is very _medically_ inclined, so to speak . . . Doctors, surgeons, acupuncturists, you name it. If you can name a profession that requires knowledge on the human body, we guarantee you that someone in our family does that profession for a living," says Neji as he let TenTen's head rest on the sofa cushions. "What we did just now was a little something that one of our acupuncturist cousins taught us when we were younger."

"Your cousin taught you guys how to apply pressure to a pressure point that eventually calms people down?" Gaara bluntly asks as he turns to his now serene looking sister.

"Basically . . ." says Hinata as she picks up a bag of chips. "But that's not the only pressure point we know about. The human body has many pressure points that can be used to cause pain, pleasure, and sometimes, sleep. It all depends on what kind of point you're targeting."

"That's both interesting and dangerous at the same time," Kankuro says with an impressed look on his face. "Have your parents, or anyone in your family for that matter, been encouraging, or _pressuring,_ you guys to like, uh, join the family business? I'm sure when you told your family that you were going to try out for this competition, they weren't _totally_ enthusiastic over it, right?"

"Of course, not everyone in the clan were totally happy about the idea of us doing modelling, but they warmed up to it, well, in time . . ." says Neji as he picks up the bag of pretzels from off the ground. "As for them encouraging us to join the medical field, some of our elders have said that medicine is always a good back up if modeling doesn't work out."

"And what about you three?" TenTen asks with a smirk on her face as she turns to the three siblings. "Your father is a mayor of one of Japan's biggest cities. I bet he had some reservations of you guys joining 'You Wanna Be on Top?'"

"Oh, he did alright," Kankuro says with a chuckle as he took a seat on the floor again. "Our dad is a rising force in the political world, and what does his three kids do? Go off to join the country's biggest modelling competition, that's what. He honestly thought we were joking when we first brought the idea up to him . . . He's still unsure about it to this day though."

"Is he worried that whatever you guys do here may reflect negatively on him?" I ask as I see a tense look appear on Gaara's face.

"That's part of it. Politics isn't just about the issues plaguing the community, you know . . . When you're a politician, you have to carry a squeaky clean image around yourself at all times because the press is basically on your ass at all times," Temari says with the simplest of shrugs. "Controversy to the press is like the scent of blood to a shark. It lures them in in an instant."

"On the other hand, a politician's family doesn't garner 24/7 media coverage like most famous celebrity families do. Something pretty major has to happen to move the press' attention from a politician to a politician's relative," Kankuro further adds as he digs into a package of powdered donuts. "We've had a couple of close calls ourselves, but nothing really big happened that would have landed us the front page headline. Gaara here has a bit more experience in the news compared to me and Temari."

"It was all because of the stupid stuff I did when I was younger, nothing more and nothing less . . ." Gaara quickly says quickly, as if he wanted the attention diverted away from him as soon as possible.

"Hmm, my mom ended up reacting the exact opposite way of how your folks reacted," says TenTen as she grabbed the bag of pretzels out from Neji's hand before pulling one side open. "My mom was all for it when I told her I was joining this gig."

"Why? She figured this would be the quickest way for you to get out of the house?" Temari couldn't help but ask as she quickly grabbed a few pretzels from the bag before TenTen could move the bag away.

"Not in the slightest Temari! My mother has always been my biggest supporter, as well as a big fan of the fashion and modelling industries, so when I told her I was doing this, you should have seen how she reacted! She was jumping up and down and all that good stuff. I think she was more excited about this than I was. . ." says TenTen as she laughs at the memory. "Anyway, Izuka, Naruto, you're next."

"Next for what?" I ask as my brother and I shoot her matching blank stares, but the sudden feeling of dread was starting to nag at me from somewhere in the back of my mind.

"Don't act like that you guys. You know exactly what I am talking about," TenTen says with a grin as everyone else's turned their eyes on us. "C'mon, spill it. How did your parents react when you guys told them that you were doing modelling?"

"Uh . . . honestly, we don't know," Naruto answers for the both of us as a somber look becomes apparent in his eyes. "It's not something that we usually like to talk about. Our parents tend to be a sensitive subject at times."

"Oh shit. Did you get into a fight with your parents or something?" Temari asks the nagging feeling of dread flames up a little more. "Your parents don't approve of this career choice. Is that it?"

"It's not that Temari. We didn't get into a fight with our parents . . ." I say as a lump begins to form in my throat, making it that much harder for me to speak out. "Considering that we've never lived with our parents in the first place."

"What do you mean by that?" Hinata asks, her shyness becoming much more apparent as I walk over to the far side of the room.

"My sister means exactly what she just said Hinata-chan," Naruto said with a small shrug. He let a small smile show on his face, but it was nowhere near the usual Naruto smiles that I'm used to seeing. "Izuka and I have never lived with our real parents, and we've never lived with our real parents because . . . well . . . uh . . . how do I say this . . . Um sis, can you help me out here with this?"

"Your parents . . ." I hear Gaara say as I look up to see him slowly walk up to me. "They're . . . they're deceased, aren't they?"

"Yeah, they are," I say as I tuck a few strands of my hair behind my ear. "They passed away when we were really young, like _really_ young."

"How young are we talking about here? Two, three years?" Kankuro asks before Temari elbowed him in the gut. ". . . I'm sorry if my tone sounded rude to you guys."

"That's alright," I say with a shrug. "You're not the first to ask. . . Anyway, our parents died when we were barely weeks old. They left us in the care of a family friend so they could run an errand one day, and they never returned."

"The family friend that was taking care of us that day ended up becoming our legal guardian. He took care of us until we were legal ourselves." Naruto further adds as he throws me a bag of chips. He ended up throwing the bag closer to Gaara than to me, so my fellow insomniac caught it in my stead.

"Did you ever find out what happened to your parents that day?" asks Gaara as he handed the bag of chips to me.

"When we were old enough, our guardian, Iruka, told us that our parents died in a car accident on their way to the store. Our dad died instantly, but our mom managed to hold on during the entire ambulance ride," I say as I rip the bag of chips open and start digging in. "About a couple of hours after she was brought to the hospital, she passed away."

"Oh . . . I-I don't know what to say," says Temari as a somber look spreads across her face. "I'm sorry if our line of conversation was uncomfortable for you guys, you know, talking about parents and all . . ."

"Oh that's okay . . . We try not to let it bother us. We did have a decent childhood, and Iruka has been a very good father figure to us," says Naruto with his usual grin. "Although, there were a few bumps in the road growing up."

"Like your refusal to eat anything that was classified as a vegetable until you were eleven?" I ask with a smirk, which turned into a grin as my brother looks at me as if I've revealed his darkest secret to the world. "What? Don't look at me like that! Every time Iruka would serve up vegetables with our dinner, you ended up throwing them away or outright refusing to eat them! All you wanted to eat was ramen!"

"And that's a bad thing?" Naruto asks me in shock, as if eating ramen was the most innocent thing in the world.

"It's not healthy eating one food every day for weeks and months at a time Big Bro!" I say as I walk over and playfully throw some chips at him. "One of these days, you're going to get sick off that stuff."

"Too late sis. I already got sick off ramen once," he says in a challenging tone. "And it was all worth it!"

"It's always worth it when you get to feast on your favorite food," Kankuro chimes in as he shoots us all a blazing smile. "I absolutely hate spinach, but I love me some my hamburger steak. One time, I absolutely gorged myself on hamburger steak during an eating competition. I ended up throwing up chunks afterward, but it was well worth it."

"Yeah . . . that was one of the things that made Kankuro newsworthy a couple of years ago, for the _wrong_ reasons. You ended up barfing right on our dad's shoes by accident," says Temari as Gaara starts chuckling at the memory. "And they were his favorite pair of loafers too."

"I got him a new pair, eventually . . ." grumbles the middle Sabakuno sibling. "Anyway, I'm in the mood to hear something funny. Anyone got a good funny story to share with the rest of us?"

 _Knock-knock-knock_

"Hold up one second Kankuro. Someone is at the door," says Neji as he moves to open it. When he returns, he's holds up a Tsunade Mail in his right hand. "I wonder what this will say. . ."

"We all know what's possibly written in the letter inside," TenTen says with a playful smirk on her face. "But just for kicks, why don't you open the mail up and read what's inside?"

"Might as well . . ." says the Hyuga as he rips open the mail and takes out the purple paper. "Hello models, I hope you all had fun taking your spins on the runway and posing for the camera during your photoshoot, but all good things must come to an end. Tomorrow, you will meet Kakashi and Yamato in the main conference room once again to see who will move on, and who will go home. Make sure you're there by 10 AM. Sweet dreams, Tsunade."

"Although I knew this was coming, it's still not a great thing to hear." says Gaara as his deep voice breaks through the sudden silence.

"Well, all we can hope for is that none of us is among that first group of models that have to go home tomorrow," Naruto says with a shrug as he turns to the snacks. "Now, let's eat up everyone. These snacks aren't going to eat themselves you know."

"Does he always think with his stomach more than his brain?" Gaara whispers in my ear as our brothers start to argue over who gets first dibs on the popcorn.

"At times . . . Does your brother do the same thing?"

"You have no idea. . ." Gaara says as I offer him some chips, which he took gratefully. "What do you think is going to happen tomorrow?"

"I'd say a lot of happy faces, some disappointed models, and overall, a whole lot of pandemonium that's going to ensu-"

"Hey Gaara, stop flirting with Izuka or else you'll miss out on the rest of the snacks!"

"I'm not flirting with Izuka Kankuro. I'm just talking to her!" Gaara quickly exclaims as he sends a sharp look his brother's way, while I just blush in slight embarrassment. "Once again, I'm sorry for my brother."

"Don't sweat it . . ." I say with a shake of my head. "That's what brothers are for right?"

"That's right Izuka. Older brothers are here for their younger siblings, no matter how embarrassing they can get," Kankuro says with a grin as rejoin the group around the table. "And speaking of embarrassing moments, I'll tell you one now. Whenever Gaara actually has a chance to sleep, he sleeps with his favorite teddy bear that he's had ever since he was a little baby. How's that for embarrassing huh?"

"Damn you Kankuro. Damn you!" Gaara says as his face starts turning red, as Temari, TenTen, and Naruto all break out into a fit of laughter. The rest of us reacted with more subdued, and bemused, expressions in return. "Must you be so annoying right now?"

"Don't let your brother get under your skin Gaara," I say with a grin as I pat his shoulder. "And to be honest, there's nothing wrong with a grown man sleeping with the stuffed animal he's had since he was a baby. I actually think it's kind of cute."

"Uh . . ." Gaara stutters out as his face goes an even deeper shade of red, which made his siblings laugh out even more. The redhead quickly gets up, asks where the bathroom is, and quickly leaves the room to compose himself, grumbling something about annoying siblings along the way. . .

. . . I have a feeling that there is more to Gaara than meets the eye. I don't know why, but I just do.

 **Please review!**


	8. The First Eliminations

Chapter 8: The First Eliminations

"Anyone else woke up with a serious case of elimination anxiety this morning?" TenTen says with a groan as we wait for the elevator. It was the first thing that any of the four of us had said this morning. Everything that was done before now was done in complete silence, none of us feeling up for chit chat as we prepared ourselves for the first elimination round. I spent another sleepless night stewing over what could possibly happen today, and all my thinking has only led to my stress level going up another notch.

"Not only did I wake up feeling anxious, but its Cousin Dread and Cousin Stressful decided to pay me a visit this morning," mumbles Temari as she picked off a piece of lint from her gray halter top. "I just want to know the results already. The wait is killing me."

"It's killing everyone this morning Temari," I say as the elevator doors finally slide open. "I bet you that there is not one single model in this competition that's not feeling the least bit worried or stressed out about the first round of results today."

"Izuka makes a good point Temari," Hinata helpfully adds as we step into the compartment. "There's no way someone wouldn't be stressed out about something as major as the first round of eliminations. Wondering if you're in or out this early in the competition can make anyone feel a little on edge."

"I try to not think about what's up ahead, but I can't help myself, and it makes me worry even more," mumbled TenTen as she jabs her finger onto the button for the second floor. "How many people do you think are getting cut this first round anyway?"

"I don't know," I say as we start going downward. "The number varies from year to year. The highest it has ever been was that one season where a good third of the semifinalists were cut in the first round."

"I remember that season!" TenTen exclaims as she points my way. "It was such a shock to everyone there once they learned the results. There were so many tears, and not enough Kleenex to stop those tears."

"Hopefully the producers stocked the conference room with enough Kleenex so that the same thing doesn't happen again because a whole bunch of people are going to need them today." I say as we finally reach the designated floor. When the doors slide open, we all shuffle out and walk toward the conference room as a little silent group. When we reach the room, the entrance was closed shut. Everyone that arrived before us were waiting along the wall leading up to the doors.

"Huh, this kinda reminds me of all the times I waited on lines to get into my neighborhood movie theater. It's always a hassle trying to get in to watch the blockbusters." TenTen says with a shrug as we join the back of the line.

"Oh yeah . . . It's just like waiting for a movie premiere, except there's no popcorn, candy, or drinks waiting for us inside." Temari adds as she leans against the wall, her eyes going straight to the clock that was hanging on the opposing wall. "It's 9:52 right now. Only eight minutes until we learn out fate, and where the hell are the boys?"

"They're either still in their room, or they're making their way down right now," Hinata easily replies as we hear the elevator's familiar _ding_. We turn our heads to see the next batch of models appear from the lift. Naruto and Gaara were walking right at the front of the pack. "Here come two of them right now."

"Yeah, but where're the other two? Since they all share the same room together, I figured they would all be coming down here together," Temari grumbles as our respective brothers finally reach us. "Hey you two, how come Neji and Kankuro didn't come down with ya?"

"Apparently, Kankuro lost his lucky puppet, so Neji decided to stay back and help him look for it." Naruto says with a smirk as more people join the line.

"Go back for a second. Kankuro carries around a lucky puppet?" I ask with a blunt look on my face.

"Yep; he got it from our father as a gift for his tenth birthday, and he has been carrying it around with him at all times since then. It's not like one of those normal size puppets you see at puppet shows. It's more like a palm sized trinket if you ask me." Gaara further adds as he stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets.

"I would appreciate it if you refrained from calling my lucky puppet a 'palm sized trinket' little brother," calls the middle sibling as he and Neji finally arrive. "With the luck it has brought me over the years, it deserves the respect it has earned."

"Why should I refrain from saying something that's absolutely true though? Your lucky puppet actually fits into your palm!" Gaara quickly argues back as he raised an eyebrow, which was actually surprising to me now that I realized that he was lacking eyebrows. Like, they were nowhere to be found on his face.

"Okay, you got me there . . ." says the brunette as he reaches into his back pocket, taking it back out a second later to reveal the little luck giver. "I'm just glad that I finally found it, well, thanks to Neji's help."

"It was no problem, although, I have to admit it was a little hard finding the thing thanks to its misleading name at first," says the Hyuga as he crosses his arms over his chest. "He tells me that we're looking for his puppet Crow, so I instantly assumed that the puppet was modeled after an actual crow."

"But that little thing looks nothing like a crow!" Naruto exclaims as he points to the puppet. "For starters, what kind of crow has three eyes, four arms, and no wings?"

"Did I forget to mention that Kankuro has a very bad tendency of giving objects horrible names?" Temari adds, earning a sharp glare from her brother just as the conference room doors begin to open up. "You can glare at me all you want later Kankuro. We got much more pressing matters to get through first."

"Gather around everyone!" exclaims Yamato as he and Kakashi emerge from the conference room. The doors close right behind them, giving none of us the chance to see what was going on inside as we move to form a half circle around the two older gentlemen.

"I hope you all have been having fun here these past few days," says Kakashi as he looks at our group. "But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and for some of you guys, it'll be ending right now."

"There are 100 of you semifinalists here in front of us," says Yamato as his face turns somber. "But after this elimination, only 50 of you will remain to compete in this competition."

"Did he just say _50_?" Hinata whispers as the group begins to buzz with shock and worry, her eyes showing just how spooked she was at the sudden news. "Please tell me I didn't hear him right."

"Nope, you heard him right Hinata," Naruto answers her with a slightly glum look on his face. "He basically just told us that half the field will be gone before this day is over. That's pretty much unheard of if you ask me."

"You got that right Naruto," grumbles TenTen. "This is definitely the biggest elimination 'You Wanna be on Top?' has ever seen, and unfortunately, we get to be a part of it."

"But did it have to be during our season though?" mutters Kankuro as he raked his free hand through his hair. "Couldn't they have waited till next year?"

"I guess not . . ." I mumble as the crowd begins to quiet down.

"Alright, alright. We gave you all enough time to talk about it amongst yourselves. It's time to get back to the task at hand everyone." says Yamato as a bemused expression appears on his face.

"Inside the conference room, there are 100 posters. The posters are enlarged versions of the Polaroids that you all took during the preliminary rounds. There is one picture for each model." Kakashi explains as he jutted his thumb toward the sealed doors behind him.

"If you find the phrase 'You're in!' printed on the back of your respective poster, then congratulations, you have made it through to the next round," Yamato adds with a smirk. "However, if the back of your poster is blank - absolutely blank, no words, no nothing on the surface, just plain white – then I'm sorry, your journey ends here, and you will have to go back to your respective suites, pack your bags, and go home."

"Are you all ready to find out your results?" Kakashi exclaims as the doors slowly opened up behind them. It didn't take us long to answer him with one resounding 'Yes'. "Alright then, go learn your fates!"

The crowd began to move before he even got his last word out. We ended up bum rushing through the open doorway, passing the two older men who were too slow to get out of our collective way. Everyone began splitting up as soon as we entered, mad dashing in order to find their respective photos. I could already hear the sounds of tearful cries and shouts of joys as people found out their results left and right, my eyes still scanning to find my photo.

"SIS, OVER HERE!"

At the sound of my brother's voice, I turn my head to see my brother standing next to my poster. He was already holding his, and judging from the big megawatt grin he had on his face, I think it was safe to say that he was in.

" _I guess they put them in ABC order by last time. That would explain why ours are close to the end of the line."_ I inwardly mused as I joined my brother. "So, judging from the look on your face, it's safe to say that you are moving on right?"

"Hell yes I am!" he exclaims excitedly as he pulls me into a hug with his free arm, his happiness swimming off him in waves. I couldn't help but smile at this. Naruto's joy was just that contagious. "Now hurry up and look at your poster. I want to know if you made it through or not."

"I will, once you finally let go of me!" I say with a chuckle. Realizing that he was still hugging me, my brother quickly lets me go. He shoots me a quick look of apology before it shifts to that of anticipation, and I couldn't blame him for it. Naruto did have a tendency to be excited for the both of us at times, even when the situation didn't call for it.

"Here goes nothing," I say as I pick up my poster. For some reason – it could have been out of nervousness or outright fear, or disappointment – I close my eyes as I turn my poster around. I slowly open my right eyelid to peer at the sight before me, and as soon as I see the black lettering, I couldn't help but let out a shout of delight. "Yes, I made it!"

"It's two for two for the Uzumaki twins after all!" Naruto says as he raises his hand for a high five, which I quickly give him. I had to agree, especially since it was rare for siblings to make it far on the show, especially the semifinals. "C'mon, I want to go see what the others got."

"I'm actually hoping that they all got through to the next round just like we did," I say as we start to move further into the room. "It'll actually be a bit depressing to me if any one of them were sent home this early, despite the fact we barely know them."

"You said it sis," Naruto says with a nod of his head. "I know people are going to be eliminated left and right as this thing goes on, but it's going to be hard to see the people you start to really get to know leave so soon."

"Aw . . . It's nice to know that you feel that way guys!"

At the sound of Kankuro's voice, we both turn our heads to our immediate right to see the brunette standing a couple of feet away with a grin on his face and his poster in his hand. Gaara and Temari were only a few feet behind him.

"It's good to know that you guys care. It hits me right here. Right in the heart, right in the feels," the brunette further adds as he points to his heart. "It's quite touching actually."

"Oh shut it! You sound like you're mocking us dude!" Naruto exclaims as he jabs his finger at him.

"I'm sorry if I sound like I'm mocking you guys, but I'm being honest. Your words were quite touching," he says, just as Temari slapped him on the back of his head. "That was so not needed sis."

"You brought this on to yourself and don't deny it!" the eldest sibling says with a smirk before turning to us. "Did you guys make it through?"

"We sure did," I say as we hold up our posters. "Did you?"

"All three of us, to be exact," Gaara calmly responds in return as they show us their own evidence. "I guess we all fight to live another day."

"Don't forget us!" exclaims TenTen as she appears out of nowhere with Neji and Hinata. "We all got through too!"

"Huh . . . we all made it. We're all in the top 50," I say as I look around the room to see the various emotions on people's faces. There was joy, excitement, and relief on the faces of those that made it through and then there was, of course, the disappointment, anger, and sadness of those that didn't make the cut. "On one hand, I'm glad that we made it through, but on the other hand, I feel bad for those that didn't make it."

"There had to be those that wouldn't make the cut. Hopefully this experience won't be too demoralizing to them." says Hinata as she brings a hand to her lips.

"Can everyone gather around here please!?" Yamato calls out to us as he and Kakashi stand under the conference room's main chandelier. "Everyone gather round!"

"First of all, I would like to say that it was definitely a hard to choose who would be the top 50 and who would go home," says Kakashi as he looks around the group. "For those of you who were cut here today, this is not the end of the road for you guys. This shouldn't stop you from chasing your dreams, and hopefully, we will be seeing some of you, or all of you, back here next year."

"But for now, we have to bid you all farewell. Thank you for participating, and we wish you all the best." says Yamato, his voice sounding formal and somber as we all started to clap for the eliminated models as they made their exit. A silence enveloped the room once the eliminated models all disappeared from the room, as if we were mourning those who had departed, which in a way we were. That silence ceased once Yamato clapped his hands to regain our attention.

"Congratulations, you guys are the top 50!" he exclaims to us, gaining a nice round of applause from us in return. "You all have rightfully earned your spots here in this phase of the competition, but how well you do tonight will determine who makes it to the finals, and who goes home."

"This afternoon, you all will be attending a party that the hotel will be throwing in honor of the new season of 'You Wanna Be on Top?' Many people will be there, including some high profile members of Japan's fashion community, as well as photographers who will be covering the soiree for many news outlets and publications," Kakashi calmly explains as we give him our absolute attention. "Some photographers are freelancers that we hired to take photos of you and only you. Their photos are what we are going to use to determine who's in and whose out."

"Here's the catch: The freelancers will be disguised to easily blend in with the other photographers, so you will have no idea who's who, which means you'll have to be at your very best throughout the party in order to make sure you have a good photo at the end of it." Yamato further tells us as a slightly sinister grin begins to show on his face.

"Do not let your guard down, or else you'll end up with a very embarrassing photo by the end of the festivities. Trust me when I say this, you do not want Yamato, Tsunade, and me criticizing a photo showing you picking your nose." Kakashi adds with a smirk on his face. I'm guessing he smirked. It's so hard to tell when he's wearing that mask on his face. "Does anyone have any questions?"

"When are we going to finally meet Tsunade-sama?" asked the pink-haired girl, Sakura was her name I believe.

"You may see her at the party, and you may not, but for now, you should worry more about what you're going to wear than who you're going to meet. In the fashion world, appearances are very important." says Yamato as he moves off to the side, Kakashi following right after him. "The party starts at one o'clock. We'll see you there."

 **Please review!**


	9. Photo Party

Chapter 9: Photo Party

"Izuka, should I keep my hair up in buns or should I let them loose?"

That's what I hear TenTen ask me as I hear her footsteps pad along the tiled floor. I turn away from the bathroom mirror to see her enter the room with bobby pins in one hand and a brush in the other. Her dark brown hair fell a little past her bare shoulders, but it wasn't enough to distract me from the frantic look that was on her face.

"If you want my honest opinion, I'd say stick with the buns," I say as I dab some more lipgloss on my bottom lip. "You look a little too normal when you have your hair out like you do now. Your dual hair buns make you look more unique."

"Really?" she asks as she looks at her reflection. "Do I really look so _normal_ when I have my hair down?"

"Izuka, can I borrow your cuff bracelet?" Temari suddenly asks me as she practically stomps into the room in her five inch heels while waving around my silver cuff bracelet. She then turns to TenTen, her eyes instantly going to her hair. "What up Plain Jane?"

"That's it. I'm putting my hair back up in buns," TenTen grumbles as she takes my spot in front of the mirror. "Is Hinata already done?"

"Yep; she's waiting on the couch for the rest of us," says the Fukuoka native as she turns to me. "So, can I borrow your bracelet or not?"

"Yeah sure; just don't lose it. I want it back once the party's over," I say as I put my lipgloss back into my makeup bag. "How many photographers do you think will even be at the party upstairs anyway?"

"More than I could possibly count is my guess," mumbles TenTen as she completes her right bun before moving to start on the left. "All I know for sure is that those photographers upstairs hold our fates in this competition in their hands."

"You're being overdramatic TenTen," mumbles Temari as she tightens up her pigtails. "It's Tsunade, Kakashi, and Yamato who hold our fates in this competition in the balance. They're the ones that make the final decisions on who goes to the next level and who goes home."

"I know that!" TenTen exclaims as she shoots Temari an annoyed look. "But I'm still worried about the photographers themselves because they still play a crucial part in this stage. Like I said before, they hold our fates in their hands. The photos they take of us this afternoon are what the judges will use as the deciding factor in their final decisions, and I don't want to take a sucky photo thank you very much."

"TenTen makes a good point Temari," I say as I look over my reflection one last time. "The photographers are very important in this challenge. Also, do you really want three of the competition's most important judges to really judge you on a photo that really puts you in a bad light?"

"Hmm, I see your point," Temari finally concedes as she puts on my bracelet. "So, are you two ready to go or not?"

"I'm all set," I say as TenTen finishes up with her hair. "And it looks like TenTen is good to go too."

"You got that right!" she says with a look of determination on her face. "Let's get upstairs and make our presence known!"

We all exit the bathroom and quickly tie up whatever loose ends we had to clear up before gathering by the front door. We all went with party looks that showcased our legs, but while Temari and Hinata went with mini-dresses in shades of plum and lavender, respectively, TenTen went with a short, sleeveless blue romper while I went with a chic shirt, shorts, and blazer combo in shades of black and purple.

"Ladies, we all ready to go? Speak now or forever hold your piece," says Temari as she eyes all three of us. None of us respond, prompting her to turn her head back around, quickly checking the time on her watch. "Alright, the party just started a few minutes ago . . . Let's do this."

We exit the suite and make our way over to the elevators to see that a large group of our fellow female competition were already waiting for the next ride up. All of them, like us, were dressed to impress for the afternoon soiree upstairs. We couldn't get on the first available ride, or the second, so the four of us ended up on the third ride up, along with Sakura, the pink haired girl who's sensitive about her hair, and Ino, the competition's resident flirt who almost got a taste of Sakura's fist days ago. Luckily for us, they didn't bother to speak with the rest of us. They were too busy ignoring each other to pay any attention to us, the animosity between them almost palpable. Once the elevator stopped at our desired floor, the two walked out the same time, almost bum rushing each other in the process as they walked down the hallway, turned the corner, and disappeared from our view.

"That had got to be the most tension filled elevator ride I've ever been on," mumbles TenTen as she snuck one last look at the elevator before the doors slid closed. "You could have cut the tension in there with a knife for crying out loud!"

"Yeah, there is no love lost between those two," says Hinata as she shakes her head. "They've only known each other for a few days, and it's amazing how they don't like each other."

"I got $10 on them arguing at least once before the night's over," Temari adds as she takes lead. "Now come on. I can hear the music coming from where those two are heading."

We followed Temari down the hallway and around the corner to see that the hallway ended at an open doorway that led to the hotel roof, which was already bustling with partiers, patrons, and probably the most important of the p's: the photographers. Most of the competition were already amongst the throng, mingling with the who's who of the fashion industry.

"Well this didn't take long . . ." I mumble as we near the entrance. "This party started only, what, like 20 minutes prior?"

"At least we'll be fashionably late. . ." TenTen manages to say with a grin as she walks into the party. She then turns to look at us over her shoulder. "I suggest we separate for now. I'll see you girls later."

"I feel so ditched . . ." Temari says with sarcasm laced in her voice. "But I got to admit. TenTen does have the right idea. Besides, we can cover more ground separately than as a group."

And with that, Temari walked into the party and disappeared from our view, making our group of three go down to a duo.

"I don't know about you Hinata, but I think I'm going to try my luck at the juice bar," I say as I point to the long glass table off to the right. Two bartenders, a man and a woman, were manning the station, fixing up drinks for any and all that came their way. "I'm sure I'll find some photographers there that will be willing to take my photo."

"I hope you don't mind if I tag along Izuka," I hear Hinata say as I start making my way to the bar, she following right behind me. "To be honest, I'm not really used to big parties such as this one."

"You and me both," I say as with a shrug. "But between you and me, I prefer to not show it. They say it's best to fake it till you make it, and I don't think the judges would appreciate photos of nervous looking models. Wouldn't you agree?"

"You make a good point," she says in agreement as we reach the bar. "So, do you think we'll have trouble getting the photographers' attention?"

"I don't think so," I say as we hear cameras go off from somewhere to our left. We both turn our heads to see two men with professional looking cameras and necklaces showcasing their credentials taking our shots. Hinata and I quickly get into model mode, posing for the photographers for a couple of shots before they went on their way to take a snap of their next target. "Hinata, I think we'll be just fine . . . I think we could mix in both casual and high fashion into our shots going forward. You know, for variety, but I think we should be a-okay. Some of these photographers are meant to take photos of us after all."

"You're right on that one. I just don't think we should be so casual that we would be caught off guard by the cameramen." suggests Hinata as we start looking through the drink menu.

"You make a very good point there," I say as the male bartender walks over to us. "This is a challenge after all."

We both tell the bartender our orders-strawberry banana smoothie for Hinata and a tropical passion cocktail, without the alcohol, for me-before making our way through the party to look around. We see TenTen again at one of the roof's corners, talking with Neji and the boy with the bowl cut and the bushy brows that walked with Sakura in the runway challenge. They were being photographed by a glasses-wearing female photographer whose light blonde hair poked out from the oversized beanie she wore on her head. There was something familiar about her, like I've seen her before somewhere, but I can't seem to put my finger on it.

"Uh oh . . . I see trouble."

"Huh?" I ask as I turn to see the troubled look on her face. She points toward the entrance, where three of the girls that were also a part of the competition were arguing with each other, and they were getting louder and louder by the minute. "Damn, they are really going at it over there. What are those three arguing about anyway?"

"Bad attitudes," says Temari as she walks up to us from our right with a pale drink in hand. "You see, the black haired girl with the bleached bangs has been talking smack about people in this competition ever since she got here. The two girls arguing with her have been a couple of her targets, and they decided to confront her about it."

"Confront her? They look like they're about to trade blows," says Hinata, just as the girl with the bleached bangs slapped one of her confronters in the face, knocking her glasses right off her face and right into the nearby pool. "Never mind . . ."

"And of course, security comes in, right on cue . . ." says Temari as two muscled security guards, both dressed in complete black, appear out of nowhere and each grab on of Bleached Bangs girl's arms. They then leave the party, dragging the girl out as she tries to kick and scream her way to freedom. "She's so outta here."

"No kidding. 'You Wanna Be on Top?' has a strict 'No Physical Altercation' policy. If they catch you hitting someone on purpose with malicious intent, you're basically through," I say as I take a sip of my drink. "She'll be out of this hotel by midnight."

"Hey guys! We finally found ya!"

I recognize my brother's voice from among the crowd, and it didn't take long for him to appear before us. Surprisingly, the only thing on him that was even remotely orange was the drink he held in his right hand. He was wearing a mainly black and gray outfit of dress shirt, jeans, and dress shoes. Gaara was with him as well, but he was wearing his leather jacket with a matching tight black button down shirt underneath, black jeans with a metal chain, and his boots. He had no drink in hand.

"We heard that some kind of commotion was happening over here and we wanted to investigate," says my brother as his eyes divert from us to the pool, where the girl that got a taste of Bleached Bangs' wrath was currently reaching into the water to retrieve her glasses. "Uh, how did that girl's glasses end up in the pool?"

"They were smacked off her face by the girl with the bleached bangs," I say as the girl finally rescues her possession from the pool. "You missed the security guards pull the girl out of the party just now."

"The girl that was just pulled out does know she has pretty much eliminated herself for doing something so stupid right?" Gaara asks as he crosses his arms over his chest. "They always kick you out if you initiate contact first."

"Hopefully she learns a lesson from all of this," adds Hinata before she takes a sip of her drink. "So, have you two been photographed yet?"

"I think everyone in the competition has been photographed once or twice already," says Naruto as he looks around the crowd. "However, some people are being photographed more than others."

"The photographers are playing favorites?" Temari asks with an incredulous look on her face, and then it turns irritated. "I should have guessed."

"A large group of photographers are taking photos of models over at the far right corner of the party," says my brother as he points us in the right direction. "If you want some more photos taken of you, you can go over there."

"I'm gone." Temari bluntly exclaims as she quickly walks away. Hinata follows after her, at a much slower pace, with Naruto walking in step with her, leaving Gaara and I to ourselves.

"Is it just me, or do you also have the sudden feeling of being ditched?" Gaara bluntly asks me as I watch the others disappear into the crowd.

"You're not the only one . . ." I say as I finish the last of my drink. "So, you want to go after them?"

"Not right now . . . That area's getting a little too crowded anyway," he says as he turns to look in the other direction. "I think I'm just going to wait until the crowd thins out a little. Maybe take in the view a bit . . . Care to join me?"

His question slightly takes me off guard, but I manage to recover fast enough that Gaara wouldn't notice anything amiss . . . I hope. "Uh, sure. I'm game."

Gaara nods his head before walking off to a less crowded area of the roof. I quickly set my empty glass on a server's tray, just as he passes me by, before following after the redhead until we reached an empty stretch of railing at the far end of the roof, a little further away than the rest of the party.

"So . . ." I start as I lean myself against the railing. "How many people do you think are actually going to make it into the main round after tonight?"

"I have no idea, to be honest. The number seems to change every year," answers the redhead, his husky voice somehow sending a sudden chill right down my spine . . . Damn, with that kind of voice, he could sell me anything anytime. "There's 50 of us left, well, 49 now that that one girl left after smacking that other girl earlier. How many of us actually making it to the next round can only be determined by the judges alone."

"I guess you're right," I say as I look down at the street below us. "The idea of one's fate being in the hands of a small amount of people . . . the idea of not knowing whether you're in or out . . ."

"It's never fun putting one's fate into other's hands, but my father has always said that if you put your trust in the professionals and their expertise, you should end up doing just fine." Gaara calmly responds as he does a small shrug of his shoulders.

"I can see how your father says that," I absentmindedly say as I look up at the sky. I can feel Gaara's jade green eyes on me, so I push forward. "Your father is a politician, aka, the mayor of Fukuoka . . . As the mayor, he has to put his trust in the expertise of his advisors and other people among his staff, especially those who have expertise in areas that your dad is not so fluent with, right?"

"Hmm, you definitely have me there," he slowly admits as I sneak a look at him from the corner of my eye. "My father was the city treasurer before running for mayor. He has a mind for the economy, particularly in the area of metals like gold and silver . . ."

"But let me guess: your dad's knowledge in areas like public policy and societal issues are _not as adequate_ as his knowledge on the economy?" I couldn't help but ask as I couldn't help but let a smirk show on my face.

"Exactly; my father, and thus me and my siblings, come from a pretty wealthy family. Think old nobility, like the Uchihas," says Gaara as he takes a deep breath. "Of course, coming from an affluent background means you don't face the struggles that the poor and middle class may face. However, my dad grew up with friends that did face those kinds of struggles, and in his own way, he wanted to help them out."

"So he studied economics so that he could figure out ways to help others on a financial level?"

"Exactly! My dad figured that if he was going to help out and give back to the community, he should do it the way that he knew best, and that was through economics and finance, and he's definitely been successful on that front," says the redhead, his face looking slightly impressed. "Fukuoka has one of the best economies in the country, and it's all because of him and his ideas, but when he decided to run for mayor, he knew he couldn't do it alone."

"Hmm, I bet it wasn't all fun and games having the mayor of one of Japan's biggest cities as your dad growing up huh?" I ask as I sneak a look back at the party.

"Not in the slightest. My siblings and I have all had our problems with our father, me especially, but we manage . . ." he tells me with a shrug. "I'm sorry. I'm not being sudden and boring by talking about my family's background am I?"

"Not in the slightest. I don't mind it one bit," I say as I spot a photographer taking our photo about ten feet away. "Besides, with you telling me something about your background, it makes us even."

"Even?" he asks me, slightly confused.

"You were the one that figured out that my parents are deceased, remember?" I bluntly ask as I step away from the railing.

"Oh yeah, during the snack party . . ." Gaara mumbles as we start walking back toward the crowd. "I guess we really are even."

"C'mon," I say as I wrapped my arms around one of his own. I swear the action made him blush a little, if the sudden coloring of his cheeks was any indication. "We still have a challenge to get through remember?."

We spent the rest of the party getting as many photos taken of us as we could, from group shots to individual pictures. We probably had our photo taken at least once by most of the photographers that attended the soiree, while also interacting with other party patrons as we moved. When it was finally over, we were all called to gather by the pool area while everyone else left the roof. When we were all were finally gathered at one end, Yamato and Kakashi were standing at the other end, somehow appearing out of nowhere.

"Well hello models!" Yamato greets us with a smile on his chiseled face. "This afternoon, you all had your last chance to impress me, Kakashi, and of course, Tsunade, by mingling with some members of Japan's fashion society while also having your photos taken by photographers left and right. Those photos, along with your overall performances over the course of this week, will determine which, and _how,_ many of you move on to the main round, and who will go home."

"You have done all you can this week, but now it's time for you all to wait and contemplate," advises Kakashi as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Once Yamato and I leave you here, we'll be going to meet with Tsunade, and the three of us will be thinking long and hard on who did enough to stay, and who must go."

"You will not know your fates until tomorrow night, where you all will meet back here right by this pool at 8 PM sharp. This is where you will face Tsunade for yourselves, for the first time this competition," says Yamato as he points to the ground. "But for now, it's time to say goodbye, and for some of you, this'll be the last goodbye you will get from us."

"Rest up, because tomorrow is when the real challenge begins, well, for some of you," says Kakashi as he gives us a small wave. "Bye everyone."

We all stayed silent as the two men gave us the whole spiel about the final decision making, and we remained silent as they left the roof and walked inside. The tension was definitely in the air as we all remained quiet, no one daring to speak a word to the other as we all digested the information we were given. Eventually, we all began to thaw out, people whispering amongst themselves as they began to take their leave.

"One more day . . ." I whisper to myself as I shake my head. "One more day to wait to see whether we're in or out."

"They really know how to prolong the agony, don't they?" I hear Temari asks as she appears right next to me from the corner of my eye. "But I guess that's show business for ya. They just love to build up the drama."

"Too bad not all of us are willing to wait," my brother says in mild complaint, ever the impatient one. "I really want to know, just so i could be done with it and not have to worry about it anymore."

"You're not the only one. I want to know sooner rather than later too, but we all know that's not how it goes here," says TenTen as she starts walking to the exit. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go start packing all my things, because tomorrow, whether you like it or not, we're going to be finding out who's going to the top model house, and who's going home."

 **Please review!**


	10. The Final Cut

Chapter 10: The Final Cut

 _ **Normal POV**_

"Kakashi, you have got to admit. It has been years, _years_ , since 'You Wanna Be on Top?' has seen a group of models so diverse, so unique, as this year's batch."

The silver haired man looked up from the book he was reading to see his brown haired friend looking out the window at the full moon above, a small smile stretched across his face, which Kakashi thought look really goofy on him.

"They definitely are a unique batch when you really think about it," said Kakashi as he turned a page. "Unfortunately, we both know that not every single one of the models that are still in contention are going to make it all the way to the main rounds . . . We're going to have to kick some of these models out. We're going to be crushing a few dreams with the decisions we make tonight Yamato. You do understand that, don't you?"

"Oh, I understand that Kakashi. I've been doing this for years, just like you have," said Yamato as he turned away from the window. "And do you have to be so blunt about it?"

"I'm not me without my bluntness. You don't survive being in the fashion industry as long as I have without being a little straightforward," said Kakashi, his book now forgotten. "Just be glad that you don't have to be the bearer of bad news come tomorrow night."

"That's correct, because being the bearer of bad news is my job, not yours Yamato."

At the sound of the voice, Kakashi and Yamato both turned their heads to see a blonde woman walk into the room. She was dressed in a black suit with a low cut white top underneath that showed off her generous decolletage. Her long blonde hair was tied up into two loose ponytails, and as she walked into the suite, the woman's presence exuded an aura that screamed a 'Supermodel'.

"Tsunade, it's so nice of you to finally join us!" said Yamato as she took a seat on the couch across from theirs. "So, how did your little mission go?"

"It was fun going undercover as one of the freelance photographers," said Tsunade, her mouth breaking into a grin. "It was great to see for myself how our models would do when they're put in a situation such as the one we put them in this afternoon. I think some people really stepped up to the plate, and others just failed to deliver the goods."

"So, shall we start our judging then?" asked Kakashi as he gestured to the coffee table, where photos of the models from today's challenge were strewn all across the glass surface. "Tsunade, do you have any idea how many people we're going to allow into the main round this year?"

"Originally, I planned for 20 to move on to the model house," said Tsunade, her face looking wistful. "But this year, this year's batch of models are so diverse, so amazingly different, that it's inspiring me to be generous this year, well, a _little_ generous . . . I think one more person may find their way into the model house with our Top 20 this time around."

"But you said you're feeling a _little_ generous, which means it could be possible that you may not feel generous enough to even allow a 21st spot. Am I right?" asked Kakashi, who was most likely smirking behind his mask. Tsunade simply smiled back in return. "I thought so . . . Anyway, let's get this party started?"

"Oh yes! Let's see, we originally had 50 models left to consider for 20, possibly 21, spots, but the number is down to 49 due to one model's _behavior_ during today's event," said Tsunade as she looked down at the photos. "Let's start the debate. Are there any models that have truly caught your eyes you guys?"

"One of my top picks has got to be that Sasuke kid," said Kakashi as he picked up one of the photos that showed the Uchiha. "He definitely has a strong look, and probably has one of the most intense gazes I've ever seen in my history of doing this competition. My one issue is his hair."

"His hair is definitely _unique._ I think a good haircut come makeover week will do him some good, well, if he makes it that far . . . Judging from that look in your eye, you definitely believe he'll survive to that week," Yamato begrudgingly says, his reaction making both Kakashi and Tsunade smile. "But that's not the issue I have with him . . . My issue with him is that he has a bit of an arrogant side to him that could easily rub clients the wrong way. When you're a model, one of the main things you need to have is a personality that is at least _welcoming_ , and I'm not entirely convinced he's capable of it."

"I see where you're coming from with this Yamato. Of course, I was there at the party, undercover of course. Sasuke was actually one of the models that I was eager to see during the party. He takes great photos, don't get me wrong. The camera loves him, but when the camera's off him, he can be a bit snobbish and standoffish . . . But, I am willing to give him a chance."

"Are you serious Tsunade?" Yamato asked with a shocked look on his face. The look on the blonde's face told him her answer. "Alright fine. Majority vote wins I guess . . . This Sasuke kid better prove me wrong, because I'm still not sure about him."

"I think this competition will be a great way for him to lose some of that arrogant-like nature that he has, especially when he actually has to meet with a client," says Tsunade as she put the Uchiha's photo aside. "Let's move on to the next model . . . I'm very interested in the two cousins that we have here: Hinata and Neji Hyuga. What do you two think of them?"

"Their eyes are absolutely amazing! I have no doubts about that" said Yamato, Kakashi and Tsunade both nodding their heads in agreement. "I think Neji can do great things in this competition, and so can Hinata. Hinata especially, looks like a porcelain doll come to life. My one problem with her is that she does seem a bit shy, almost timid sometimes. Regardless of that one little critique, I'd say they both stay."

"They're not the only ones from the same family to still be in our Top 49. We have a set of twins from the Tokyo area, and then we have the three kids of the mayor of Fukuoka still in this competition," adds Kakashi as he took up the five photos of the models in question. "Do you think we'll have the space for all five of them?"

"I think so. Let's start off with the Sabakuno trio shall we?" asked Tsunade as she pulled the three photos forward. "I'm amazed at the genetics of this family. I'll be honest, if you placed these photos in front of me, and I had no idea that these three were siblings, I would think that they were three totally unrelated strangers."

"There are some physical similarities, but they're very subtle. Gaara's the one, in my opinion, that has the most unique look of the three," says Kakashi as he pointed to the middle photo. "The green eyes just pull you in. His red hair would be a different look for fashion, especially on the runway because he does have a pretty decent walk."

"How do you think clients will react when they see his insomnia rings and the tattoo on his forehead?"

"Well Tsunade, there's always makeup to cover up the tattoo if the clients do not want to see it, or photoshop, or tattoo removal, but the latter is up to Gaara's discretion of course," says Kakashi. "As for the insomniac rings, he's an insomniac. It can't be helped. They do help give him an edgy vibe though."

"During makeover week, we don't just have makeovers happen. We also offer other services to the models if we think it'll help further their careers, like visits to the optometrist for contact lenses or visits to the dermatologist to take care of skin issues," says Tsunade as a contemplative look came across her face. "If we allow Gaara to go through, or Izuka because she also has insomnia on the same level as Gaara's, this would be the first time in 'You Wanna Be on Top?' history that we would call in a sleep specialist to help them with their insomnia."

"From what you have seen of them already, do you think their insomnia will give Gaara and Izuka trouble in this competition?" Yamato asked with an eyebrow raised. "I think they're strong competitors. I don't think their sleep issues will harm them that much, but it doesn't hurt to at least lessen the appearance of their insomnia rings just a tad. Some clients may like them, especially the edgier ones, while the more commercial clients may not."

"A dermatologist can help with the rings, but I think they're edgy. As for their potential in the competition, they'll definitely be a set of competitors unique in their own separate way," said Tsunade as she looked over the table. "Okay, who's next?"

The three judges launched themselves into a debate on the prospects of another model. The night ended up becoming a nonstop cycle of picking a model from the group, debating his or her potential and future in the competition, and deciding whether or not to keep or eliminate the model from said competition. The process took hours, and a few drinks here and there, but after the clock struck one in the morning, the discussion was complete and the decisions were made.

"Boys, we got our models," said Tsunade, an empty martini glass perched at her side. "The new season of 'You Wanna Be on Top?' is officially a go."

* * *

 **X-x-X-x-X**

 _ **The next night (Back to Izuka's POV)**_

 _T minus 10 minutes till judgement time._

That was the lone thought that came into my head as I looked at the elevator clock. It was 7:50 right now, which gave us only ten minutes max to get to the rooftop for the fateful announcement that was going to tell 49 potential models, including myself, who made it to the model house and _how_ many of us made it through. They always change the number every year, making the announcement that much more unpredictable, more suspenseful, and that much more worrisome that I'm almost shaking in my four inch wedges.

"I am absolutely nervous beyond belief right now that I'm almost breaking into a sweat, well, I think," I mumble as I bring a hand to my forehead, the elevator finally stopping at the intended floor. As soon as the doors slide open, a loud hum of voices greeted us from somewhere down the hall, which is something that I wasn't expecting if people were allowed to wait out on the open rooftop. I guess they weren't letting people out until the clock struck eight after all. "Is anyone else nervous, or is it just me overreacting?"

"Trust me, you're not the only one Izuka. Take me for example: I'm trying to not erratically rock back and forth over here, and poor Hinata is trying to stop herself from twiddling her thumbs!" I hear TenTen say as we step out of the elevator. "She's failing, if you were wondering."

"I can't help myself. When I'm nervous, I mess with my hands." Hinata's voice almost trembles at the end, and I turn to see that the girl was almost shaking like a leaf on a branch in a windstorm.

"Take in some deep breaths Hinata. That always helps." I say as I give her a quick hug. "If deep breaths don't work, think about something pleasant. You know, something that can keep your mind off of what's going to happen tonight."

"You three and your nerves. You don't see me freaking out."

We all turn our heads to the fourth girl in our little clique to see that what she said was true. Despite what was going to happen tonight, Temari looked relatively at ease. She was pretty much as cool as a cucumber, which is something that I can't say for the rest of us.

"Well, I guess you wouldn't be one for getting nervous once we put your background under consideration," I say as I cross my arms over my chest. "As the daughter of a mayor, I guess you have been in much more nerve-wracking situations than this one."

"Damn straight," Temari says with a superior grin as she starts walking ahead of us. "Thanks to my time in the political spotlight I have had plenty of experience with nerve-wracking situations, thus the not nervous-looking girl you see before you. My dad would always bring me to political events where I had to take photos with him, or even answer a question here and there, and those times really helped me build up my confidence."

"Well good for you," says TenTen, sarcasm laced throughout her tone as she walked after Temari, leaving Hinata and I to bring up the rear. "And I don't think you're being entirely honest with the rest of us. I bet you are nervous, but you're just hiding it on the inside."

"I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case." All eyes went to Kankuro, who appeared before us from around the corner, followed closely by Gaara. Both of them were dressed in button down shirts, formal slacks, and dress shoes. They both looked nice, but honestly, it made Gaara look a whole lot different compared to his usual jacket and boots look. It was a difference that I kinda liked.

"I'll admit: Temari has developed one hell of a poker face over the years, but her look can't compare to Gaara's," Kankuro happily exclaims as he slaps his brother right in the back. It earned him a small scowl from the redhead. "Gaara here is the king of the poker face."

"There is a Lady Gaga reference to be made here, but I'm too focused on calming my nerves to actually say it," I say as we reach the boys. The hallway that led up to the door to the rooftop was crammed with our fellow competitors, which makes one wonder how long people were waiting up here. "We're not being let out onto the roof until it's actually eight right?"

"Pretty much. Most of the competition started gathering up here about 20 minutes ago, except for this one guy. You know the guy with the bushy eyebrows and the bowl cut, Lee? He's been waiting up here since 5:30 this afternoon!"

"Really Kankuro?" Hinata asks, her face now looking noticeably calmer. "He's been up here for the past two and a half hours straight?"

"He's either that dedicated, or he couldn't stand his roommates anymore that he decided to come up here earlier than everybody."

"More like his roommates couldn't stand him anymore Temari," my brother's loud voice reaches us from somewhere within the crowd, and soon enough, he himself emerges from the crowd. "Turns out his roomies kicked him out because he was incessantly talking about the 'spirit of youth', or something like that. Neji's still up there talking to him right now."

"Spirit of youth? I think I've heard of that concept before. I just can't remember where though," TenTen face was a face of deep thought as she brought a hand to her chin, but that look disappeared as soon as we noticed that the crowd was moving outside. "Eh, I can remember where I heard it later. We've got results to hear guys!"

"Which is making me nervous once again . . ." I hear Hinata mumble to herself as we start moving forward. Apparently, Naruto heard her too because he was at her side in an instant as I watch them from the corner of my eye. He mumbles something into her ear, and whatever he says does the trick as she gives him an appreciative nod, her face looking pretty content as a small blush appeared on her face..

We all make our way out onto the rooftop, the cool air hitting our skin as a couple of attendants guide us over to the southern end of the pool, where a sleek black platform long enough for all 49 of us was set up. An identical platform was set up just a few feet off to the side, parallel to the pool, while a third, much smaller platform stood at the pool's northern end. A red carpet connected our platform to the smaller one, and we all could easily guess who was meant to stand on that platform.

"I can't believe we are about to meet the one and only Tsunade," TenTen is absolutely giddy with excitement as the group around us suddenly bursts into applause. When we all turn our heads to the roof's entrance, we figure out why. "OH MY GOD, IT'S HER!"

The crowd is absolutely awestruck and excited as the host, the founder of the phenomena that is 'You Wanna Be on Top?', finally makes her presence known as she steps out onto the roof. Honestly, Tsunade wasn't the tallest of supermodels at 5'3, but she definitely had the presence of one as she walked over to the smaller platform dressed in a dark green sleeveless dress with a plunging neckline that was probably more expensive than any outfit I have in my closet. She greeted us with a blinding smile, but her eyes were looking at us like an analyst looking over her data, as if she was already gauging our potential by just one look.

"Hello models!" she calls to us, her voice sounding so strong despite her short stature. "Let me just say it is quite the pleasure to meet you all, the Top 49! Give yourselves a round of applause!" We do, giving ourselves one that ends as quickly as it started. "Alright, you had a busy few days with the mutii-round runway and yesterday's photo challenge, which I actually attended as well."

"Wait a minute. Did we just hear her right?" I hear Temari ask as we all looked at each other with faces of shock and disbelief. "But no one spotted her during the party. She was nowhere to be found. How could she have been there, and not be seen?"

"She could have been hiding in plain sight somehow!" Naruto suggests, his voice a little louder than even he expected as all eyes go to him, including Tsunade's.

"That's actually correct Naruto. I was indeed hiding in plain sight . . .. I was actually disguised as one of the freelance photographers assigned to yesterday's party, so I actually took some shots of you guys already!" she tells us, her grin now looking quite mischievous. "Surprise!"

" _Huh, I knew that one blonde photographer I saw at yesterday's party looked familiar."_ I think to myself as my eyes skimmed the crowd. Half looked amazed at Tsunade's revelation, including TenTen and Naruto, while others looked shocked at the news, including Temari and Kankuro. Gaara, Shikamaru, and the Uchiha were the only ones that honestly looked indifferent to the news.

"Okay everyone, all your hard work this week has led you all to this very moment. Kakashi, Yamato, and I spent hours, and I mean _hours_ , debating on who we thought deserved to be in our final group of models, and who would be eliminated. We argued for some, lost our interest in others, but we have made our final decision. There are 49 of you here before me, but only 21 of you have made it through." continues Tsunade as her face goes all serious, all business-like.

"21?" I hear Gaara whisper on my left, his face finally looking as shocked as the rest of us. "They've never gone above 20 in the competition's history!"

"I guess they were really feeling generous this time around." I suggest, my comment only earning me a slight nod from the redhead.

"The first name that I'm going to call, the first to earn their spot in the Top 21, is . . ." she says, pausing for that damn dramatic effect. It's a useful tactic when you want to draw out some tension and drama, but it is so annoying when you're on the receiving end of said news that's paused for dramatic effect. Whoever came up with the idea for dramatic effect, must have been quite the tease as a person. "Hinata!"

"Huh!?" we all hear her say, visibly startled that she got named first. We all clap for her, encouraging her to go forward, but it takes some helpful pushing from Naruto and TenTen to get her to move forward. She bows her head to Tsunade in thanks before moving over to the platform on the side.

"How do you feel about being called first Hinata?"

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, but I am definitely honored to have this opportunity," Hinata quickly answers, her voice slightly shaky as she bows her head again. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome, but remember, you got here because you earned it." Tsunade looked at her with a small smile before turning to us with her face all serious again. "The next name I'm going to call is . . . Choji."

Choji happened to be the same guy that was talking with Shikamaru the first day we got here, the same one who had a bag of chips in hand. The chips were long gone, but as he emerges from the crowd, I couldn't help but notice that he was definitely _bigger_ than most models.

"The next name I'm going to call . . . Matsuri."

"THANK YOU!" a brunette from the front row exclaims as she moves to the other platform.

"YOU'RE WELCOME!" was Tsunade's answer right back. "The next name . . . Temari."

"Oh my kami yes . . ."

I notice Gaara and Kankuro chuckle at their sister's reaction to hearing her name be called, the relief evident on her face as she took her spot on the other platform next to Hinata.

"I'll be calling the next three names in quick succession . . . Shikamaru, Kiba, and Sakura."

The pinkette and the boy with the wolfish look to him were both visibly ecstatic at hearing their names being called. Shikamaru looked relieved for a moment, but quickly masked it behind his usual face of indifference. I turned my head to the other platform just to see Temari's reaction on Shikamaru making it through. She did not disappoint, giving the guy a dirty look as he stepped onto the platform.

"Next name . . . Sasuke,"

Sasuke didn't even look remotely excited or indifferent to hearing his name being called. He looked slightly smug, so smug that I think even Tsunade couldn't help but notice it.

"I understand that we have one set of cousins in the Top 49. One has already made it to the Top 21 . . ." says Tsunade, her eyes sneaking a look at Hinata before turning to us. "And the other has made it as well. Neji, come on down, and bring TenTen and Lee with you."

"Of course!" says the Hyuga as TenTen quickly find him in the group and loops her arm around his. As they, along with a teary eyed Lee, walk over to the other platform, I quickly do the math in my head, my eyes widening when I realize that 11 of the 21 spots have now been filled, leaving 10 more spots for the remaining 38 of us. The tension was already palpable when we first came out here. It increased to another level now that so few spots remained.

"Eleven names down, ten more to go . . . The twelfth name I'm going to call, is Naruto."

"Congrats big bro!" I say with a genuine smile, my brother matching mine with his own teeth baring grin. He reaches over and gives me a quick fistbump before moving off to the side to join the others, the sight giving me a sense of great joy as a sister, and the sense of slight dread as a competitor.

"The thirteenth and fourteenth names that I'm going to call . . . are Ino and Karin."

Sakura was glaring at the blonde girl like mad, but Ino paid her no mind as she and Karin, the only other redhead in the competition, joined the safe models on the podium. Something tells me those two are going to get in some heated arguments as the competition went along.

"The fifteenth model that's safe, is Shino," says Tsunade, her eyes going straight to the guy in the oversized, but light-looking hoodie and sunglasses. He silently nods his head, the people in front of him giving him space to move out of the crowd better . . . He was one mysterious dude. "And the sixteenth model that is safe, is Izuka."

" _Oh my kami I'm moving on! I'm actually moving on . ._ _!"_ I practically scream this in my head as I hear my name finally pass her lips. Someone's arm wraps around my shoulders to give me a one armed hug, but it took me a while to realize that it was Gaara who was doing it. I give him an appreciative nod before moving over to the other platform, and into the welcoming arms of my brother and our friends.

"As if they would really dare to separate us Uzumakis." Naruto says this with a goofy grin on his face, but I didn't really focus on that as I finally saw who was left to be chosen, well, _if_ they were lucky enough to be chosen.

Of our little clique of friends, Gaara and Kankuro were the only ones that still remained on the main platform, and I was starting to get a little worried for both of them. What if one made it, but not the other? What if they _both_ didn't make it? If that was the case, they would have to live with the fact that Temari made it and they didn't . . .

. . . Honestly, Temari did seem to be the kind of person to rub it in just a little, and I guess the competition wouldn't be the same without either of the brothers, especially Gaara. Oh Gaara . . .

"Sixteen names down. Five names to go," and the countdown has been spoken. We were now getting down to the final stretch. "I already have one insomniac in the Top 21, and I think this competition can handle another, Gaara."

" _Oh thank kami he made it!"_ I say in sweet relief, but as soon as I rethink what I just said, I couldn't help the growing blush forming across my face. Gaara nods his head at both Tsunade and Kankuro before walking over to our platform, his sister instantly greeting him with a hug that I don't think any of us expected from her, especially Gaara. "Congrats Gaara!"

"Thank you Izuka." he manages to say as his sister continues to hug the air right out of him, his face the absolute picture of strain. "I just hope Kankuro has the same result as the rest of us have had."

"Models 18, 19,and 20 are Juugo, Suigetsu, and Sai."

Three guys, a tall orange haired one with tan skin, a white haired one with the sharpest looking teeth I've ever seen, and a raven haired one with skin so pale it almost looked gray, walked out from the group to join our group. With them now joining, the competition was now 20 models strong, and there was still one name left to be called. Things were now absolutely dire for the remaining 29. I was glad that I was called earlier, but I don't think anyone with me on the Top 21's platform would disagree with me saying that being the last one called from such a large group must be the most heart-wrenching and bittersweet feeling in the world.

"There are 29 models left before me, but I only have one name left to call," says Tsunade, her eyes going to each model that still stood before her. Pretty much half of the remaining 29 were either wearing pleading looks on their faces, hoping that Tsunade would call their name, or were in straight up tears. The rest managed to keep a straight face. Kankuro was one of them, but one look at his eyes told me that he may actually break down if his name didn't end up getting called after all.

"One of you will be joining these 20 models off to my right, and the remaining 28 of you will be going home, tonight . . . The model who will complete this season's Top 21 is . . . someone who has an interest in puppets, Kankuro."

Kankuro instantly crouched down to the ground, covering his face with his hands as he digested the fact that he was the final person called. Within a minute, he was back up, telling Tsunade his thanks as he fought back tears, and making his way over to his siblings' awaiting arms.

"To the 28 of you that stand before me, I am sorry, but your journey on 'You Wanna Be on Top?' has come to an end. Please, do not let what happened tonight deter you from your dreams. I suggest you continue to practice and continue to push, because that will help you in the future, and you shouldn't let tonight's stumbling block be the end of your modelling careers," Tsunade is quick to advise as she makes her way to the dejected 28, some already balling their eyes out at their newfound misfortune. "All of you have potential to make it in the modelling industry, but tonight it is time for you all to pack up your belongings and go home. I wish you all well."

"Damn . . . that could have been us if any of our names weren't called . . ." I say as the eliminated models made their way back inside.

"It could have, but lucky for us, Tsunade and the other judges saw something in us that compelled them to let us stay," I hear Gaara say as he turns to me, putting him in position to receive a well earned hug from me. "Uh . . . what was the hug for?" he asks, blushing as I finally let him go.

"What? You gave me one when my name was called. I was just returning the favor," I say as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "You didn't mind it, did you?"

"No, nope . . . I didn't mind it. I didn't mind it one bit." he's quick to say, the blush still there on his face. He was about so say something else, but I stop him with a finger to the lips when I see Tsunade approaching us.

"I know this has been a stressful night for you all, but through your hard work, you have all earned your spots in the Top 21. What you will experience from this point onward is not for the faint of heart, so you need to be at your best throughout your time in this competition," she now advises us as a smile starts to stretch across her face. "But for now, it is best for you all to rest up tonight for what lies ahead. Congratulations, you are the official Top 21 of this season of 'You Wanna Be on Top?'"

 **A/N: Finally, we have got our Top 21, but I bet it was no surprise on who would actually make the cut. More challenges and obstacles lie in wait for our motley crew. So stay tuned and please review!**


	11. The First Day

Chapter 11: The First Day

 _ **The next morning**_

"Uhm . . . Is anyone in this suite up yet, because I smell coffee."

I couldn't help but chuckle at Temari as she walked into our suite's small kitchen still dressed in the kimono-like nightgown she got into as soon as we returned from the roof last night. Her hair was shooting out all over the place and her eyeshadow, which she never cleaned off last night, made her look like a freaky raccoon, but she didn't look like she cared as she walked over to me.

"I am in this suite, I am up, and I have indeed made coffee," I say as I hold up my cup. "Feel free to get some from the coffee machine. I made a whole pot worth."

"Thank you. To be honest, I'm way too sleepy eyed to even work the machine right now," says my fellow blonde as she moves toward the machine just off to my left. Once she finally makes herself a cup, she takes a sip before turning to me. Her eyes shoot me a quick onceover before narrowing in disbelief. "You're already dressed for the day?"

"Not sleeping much does have its advantages, like getting first dibs on the bathroom."

"Huh, I guess you make a good point there. Gaara is the same when it comes to getting ready. He's always the first one prepared to face the day, and my dad tends to be the serious early bird due to his work," she tells me as a sudden knock comes from the door. "Now who could be at our door now?"

"I guess I'll go see for myself," I say as I set my cup down and quickly make my way over to the door. The peephole isn't an easy thing to look through, but I was able to figure out it was one of the bellhops from just the familiar uniform alone. "Temari, it's one of the bellhops."

"What does he want?" I hear her call out as I open the door. The bellhop, a tall, pale man with a small mole on right side of his hawkish nose, utters a quick hello before handing me a purple envelope from the top of the stack he was carrying under his arm. I utter a quick thanks before he leaves, most likely off to deliver the rest of his mail. "Is it anything special?"

"If you think a Tsunade Mail is special, then yes, it's special," I say as I close the door behind me. "Hinata, TenTen, we got Tsunade Mail!"

"Tsunade Mail?" Hinata asks as she emerges from the bedroom, also already dressed for the day. A sleepy looking TenTen was trailing close behind her, but she was still dressed for bed. "What does it say?"

"Give me a second," I say as I open up the envelope to read the card. "Models, last night, you took your first steps. Today, you begin your journey. Be ready to check out at 10 AM sharp. Love, Tsunade."

"That's still a good hour away . . ." says Hinata, all of our eyes going straight to the clock on the far wall. "I wonder what's going to happen today."

"Who knows?" mumbles Temari, a small yawn escaping past her lips. "All I know is that it's best to not arrive downstairs late. Being late happens to be a big no-no in the fashion industry."

"Oh don't worry Temari," says TenTen, a smile now stretching across her face. "I'm sure we'll be down at the checkout counter with plenty of time to spare . . . Well, if we hurry."

* * *

 **x~X~x~X~x**

 _ **9:55 AM**_

"We're not late girls! According to the clock on this wall, we got down here with five minutes to spare!" TenTen exclaimed in glee as we stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby.

"We would have been down here sooner if you hadn't taken so long putting your hair up in buns, Dumpling Head." Temari grumbles as we make our way over to the front desk. TenTen shoots daggers straight at the back of the blonde's head, but refrains from speaking her mind as we start settling things with the desk clerk. "Now then, what's next?"

"Wait with the others until the clock strikes 10?" I suggest as I point to the group that was standing just to the left of the main entrance. It didn't take the girls long to agree with my idea, and soon enough, we were walking over to the others after finishing our business with the clerk.

"Right on time girls!" says Kankuro, his face a long way from the teary mess he was last night. "What took you guys so long getting down here?"

"Dumpling Head."

"Stop calling me that Temari!" TenTen growls out. "And it wasn't just me that delayed us. Someone couldn't decide on an outfit this morning."

"What? Presentation is everything in this competition." states Temari, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "You have to look like a model, not like you're the mascot for a dumpling cart."

"How dare you diss the buns Pigtails! At least I put some effort in doing my hair this morning, unlike you. You focused on your outfit so much, that your hair became a mere afterthought." says TenTen, her face taking on a pitying look.

"I gotta admit. TenTen does make a good point," says Gaara, his deep voice instantly cutting into the verbal warfare. His comment instantly earned him his sister's shock. "What? You got to admit it. Your usual hairstyle isn't the tidiest style in the book."

"It's like you don't put much thought into it." Kankuro further added, gaining Temari's ire. She opens her mouth to say something, but thinks better of it, choosing to move to another part of the group instead. "What? What did we say wrong?"

"Pretty much everything that you said in the last 30 seconds," says Naruto, his face looking slightly incredulous. "Be honest, were you two being serious with your sister just now, or were you just messing with her."

"Just messing with her. She likes to belittle us at times," says Kankuro, his shoulders going up in a shrug. "This is just our way of getting back at her. TenTen just happened to give us a good opening for some payback."

"I'm glad I could be of some service." says TenTen, her mouth stretching into a grin. "So, does anyone have any idea on what's supposed to happen now?"

 _HONK-HONK-HONK_

At the sound of the sudden horn, we all turned to see that a black charter bus with the familiar 'You Wanna Be on Top?' logo was rolling up the block. It reached the curb in front of the entrance and came to a stop, and lo and behold, Yamato appears in the bus's doorway on it's very last step, dressed in a yellow button down and white slacks. He gestures for us to come outside, which we all promptly do, all of us too curious as to what was going on right now.

"Good morning models! I hope you all had a good night's sleep, because we have quite the busy day ahead of ourselves," says Yamato as the bus's storage compartment doors start to slide open. "I'll explain more a little later, but first, it's time for you all to store your bags. We leave in ten minutes."

"I have the sudden feeling that things aren't going to be easy from this day forward." I hear Neji mumble as we all rush over to the bus.

"It's 'You Wanna Be on Top?' Neji. When is it ever going to be easy?" TenTen says for a quick retort as we store our suitcases as fast as we could. Once that was done, we all cram into the bus, some of elbowing each other to get to the desired seats. Our little group was the last one to get in, so we ended up getting the seats in the front.

In my opinion, the front of the bus is much more preferable to the back. You don't have to deal with the occasional bad smell from the bus bathroom when you're sitting in the front. Each row had four seats, two on each side of the aisle. Hinata and I were in one set of seats, with TenTen and Neji sitting across the aisle from us. Naruto and Gaara were in the two seats behind us while Temari and Kankuro were across from them. We were only one row away from the seats Yamato commissioned for himself. He was seated right behind the bus driver, narrowly getting himself settled before the bus lurched forward.

"So, before I start getting into the nitty-gritty details, I just want to know a little about how you guys are feeling after what happened last night. Is anyone willing to share their thoughts?" asks Yamato, his eyes scanning throughout the bus as he leaned against the seat's backrest. Apparently, he found a target, because he was suddenly pointing to the back with a smile on his face. "Yes, you with the white hair and pointy teeth in the back. Suigetsu, right?"

"That's right. Let me start off by saying that I'm very grateful for this opportunity I've been given. I think what I said is a sentiment that we can all agree on, right?" calls Suigetsu, his words, earning him mutual nods of agreement from the rest of us. "I've just had one thing on my mind since last night, and I was hoping you could answer this for me."

"Go ahead and speak your mind," says Yamato. "I'm all ears."

"My question is this: why?"

"Why? Like, why were you picked to be in the Top 21 over someone else?" asks Yamato, his face looking completely relaxed, like he's been through this before, which he probably has. "Trust me, you are not the first person to have ever asked that question, and you probably won't be the last . . . Let me tell you all this, and I hope you all remember what I'm about to say because as young models, this is something that you should all keep in mind for the years to come.

"On the outside, the modeling industry is seen as a business that only cares about models that are thin, tall, and pretty. Sure, there are models that fit those three things, but there are many other models that don't fit all of that criteria and still make it big . . . Tsunade is a prime example of that. She started her career around the same age as you guys are right now, and of course, she started with a lot more downs then ups. Not many high fashion designers wanted to work with a model that was 5'3 in height and had a chest size that was as big as a man's head . . . But she continued to work hard for her shot, and eventually, there were some that were willing to give her a chance, and over 30 years later, look at her now.

"The fashion and modeling industries are changing with each year. Back then, you had to fit a certain mold, but now, looking unique can get you just as far, as long as you are willing to work for it and have the personality to back it up . . . Tsunade, Kakashi, and myself spent hours looking at your photos, looking over videos of you guys, and gauging your talent and willingness to see who really had what it takes to make it in this competition, and well, you guys were the ones that prevailed. We believe that you guys got what it takes to make names for yourselves in this industry, whether the industry is ready for you or not . . . However, we're not entirely miracle workers here. We're going to need your cooperation. Me, Tsunade, and the rest of the judges are here to advise you and help you out as best as we can. It's up to you guys on whether or not you'll take heed of our advice and work for what you want to achieve . . . Did I answer your question Suigetsu?"

"You definitely did!" says Suigetsu, suddenly beginning a round of applause throughout the cabin with just a few claps of his hands.

"Aw, thanks for the applause guys . . . Anyway, anyone else have any thoughts to share . . . No other takers. Okay then. I think I'll just move on with the program then. Can anyone make a guess on where we're going to right now?"

No one could remotely answer his question. Lee, who was sitting in the back, had his hand up for a second before quickly taking it back down, thinking better of it.

"I see no one can make a guess . . . Before I tell you all where we're going, I think it's best if I give you a little background info first . . . Osaka is not just one of the biggest cities in Japan, but it's also a cultural hub known for its food, entertainment, and shopping destinations. One of these shopping destinations is the Shinsaibashi district, and that's where we're going to right now."

"Are we going shopping?!" Ino loudly exclaims as we feel the bus turn onto an intersecting street.

"We're about to find out." says Yamato as the bus slows to a stop in front of a busy looking street. "Everyone, off the bus and follow me."

We do as we're told, following the brunette off the bus, onto the sidewalk, past the archway that had the name _Shinsaibashi-suji_ in both its English and kanji translations on its front, and into the large, crowded street mall until we reached a bordered off space that had a runway set up within its limits. Instead of a designer label, the competition's title was featured on the runway's white back wall.

"Models, welcome to Osaka's main shopping area, Shinsaibashi-suji. This eclectic and popular shopping street is the location for your first runway challenge," says Yamato, his proclamation instantly making me go nervous. "Are you all excited?"

"Should have seen this coming . . ." I hear Gaara whisper in my ear, his deep voice making my heart flutter. "Are you ready?"

"To be honest, hardly . . . You?"

"I want to say yes, but then I would be lying to myself."

"Okay everyone. In less than 90 minutes' time, a fashion show will happen here, on this runway, in front of all these people," says Yamato as he gestured to the crowd around us. "And you lucky 21 will be the featured models . . . However, this isn't going to be a typical runway. Instead of having professional stylists and makeup artists help you get ready, you will have to do those jobs yourselves."

If we were in a closed, quiet space instead of a covered and crowded street mall, it would have been deadly silent right now. The fact that we would have to do a runway show in front of hundreds of people for our first challenge was stunning, but the fact that we had to prepare for it by ourselves was absolutely shocking. Of course, we all came here knowing how to style ourselves and how to do our own makeup. That's a given. The fact that we got a challenge like this so early in the competition was something that we were all still wrapping our heads around, well, at least I was.

" _Okay, our very first challenge is a runway show where we basically have to provide our own clothes and do our own hair and makeup. That seems doable . . . What else could they add to make things even harder."_ I thought, hoping I wouldn't be proven wrong.

"Now, before I go into further detail, I want to introduce to you all the person who will be helping me judge this challenge. Dan, are you back there?!" asks Yamato as he turns to face the runway. All of a sudden, a man with long, pale blue hair and dark green eyes appeared from the runway's backstage area with a small stack of envelopes in his hands. He definitely looked familiar, but I couldn't place my finger on where I've seen him before. "Everyone, this is my good friend Dan Kato. He is the CEO of Senju Model Management, otherwise known as the modelling agency that the winner of 'You Wanna Be on Top?' will be signed to once the competition's over."

" _They just made things harder."_

I was proven wrong.

"Hello everyone! It's a pleasure to meet you all." says Mr. Kato, his face both sincere and deductive, well, if that was possible. "One of you models will win a contract with Senju Model Management once this competition is over, so I thought it would be a good idea to come out here today to see what we're working with this year."

"Alright everyone, Dan is holding 21 envelopes, and each one is filled with $20,062 yen, which roughly equates to $200 dollars in U.S. money. You will each be receiving one envelope, and with this money, you will need to buy a whole entire look that you will wear during the show," says Yamato as Mr. Kato walks toward us. "Fashion shows are known to show some form of cohesion, and this fashion show is no different. So, we're giving you all a theme that you must abide by."

"The theme for this fashion show is 'Nightlife Glamour', so we're expecting glamorous looks that can work for a night on the town appearing on that runway. You are not allowed to use anything that you already own in your look. Your look has to be completely brand new; new clothes, new makeup, new shoes." says Mr. Kato as he hands each of us one envelope. "You are free to go through any shop along this street mall, as well any of the shops in the surrounding streets, and you could spend as little, or as much, of the money that has been provided to you. Just remember, the money you just received is what you get. You're not getting any extra, well, unless you ask your fellow competitors for some."

"Like I've said before: the show starts in a little less than 90 minutes' time. You will have one hour to shop for what you need, but one hour is all that you'll get," says Yamato, his voice taking on a foreboding tone. "If you arrive to the backstage area past the one hour mark, you will not be allowed to participate in the show."

"Tardiness is a very unsightly taboo in the fashion and modeling industry. It's can even be a career ender in some cases. All in all, you do not want to be late." Mr. Kato further added as he walked back over to stand at Yamato's side.

"For those of you that do make it back here on time, you will have 20 minutes to get your whole look in order before the show begins. It's 10:45 right now. You all must be back here by 11: 45, or else you'll be disqualified. Is everyone clear on that?" asks Yamato, his eyes scanning the group in earnest. "Good. You're all free to go in three . . . two . . . one. SHOP!"

And then the mayhem ensued. . .

 **Please review!**


	12. Runway Prep

Chapter 12: Runway Prep

" _Good. You're all free to go in three . . . two . . . one_ _,_ _SHOP!"_

The last word barely left Yamato's mouth before everyone broke off into different directions. It became an absolute free for all as we all dashed toward any shop that possibly held outfits that fit the challenge, as well as fit our respective budgets. Some people were even running back out the mall, most likely to try their luck with the shops out on the street. Personally, I think that it's best to just stick with what the street mall had to offer for now, especially when we were given such little time to work with.

"IZUKA! OVER HERE!

Hearing my name being suddenly yelled out makes me stop in my tracks, so I looked up and turned my head to see Temari, Hinata, and TenTen still standing in the spot where the whole group was previously standing in. TenTen was gesturing for me to come over, so I did, backtracking my steps as I went over to the girls.

"It's a good thing I managed to get your attention, or else we would have lost you in the crowd," says the dual-bunned brunette as I rejoined our little clique. "Look, as Yamato and Mr. Kato were explaining the challenge, Temari and I got to thinking. We talked, quickly deciding that for this first challenge, it's best if we four worked together to assemble our looks rather than walk around here separately like we were chickens with our heads cut off."

"Hmm, you guys go from insulting each others' hair to working together to succeed in a challenge? Talk about turning a complete 180." I say, the sarcasm just dripping from my voice.

"Hey! We argue during our _off hours_!" says TenTen as she juts her finger right into my face.

"But when it's competition time, we are focused and ready to compete!" Temari further adds as I swat TenTen's finger away from my nose. "Anyway, let's figure out a game plan shall we? We need to know what we're working with here."

"Well if you ask me, we each have a little over 20,000 yen to spend in a street mall where most of the shops showcase high end and expensive products," Hinata conveniently summarizes as she starts messing with her fingers. "No wonder the boys and some of the other models left this place. They must have figured that they could find what they need at a cheaper cost in one of the nearby stores."

"That seems like a good idea, but when you think about it, they may not find what they're looking for in a timely fashion. Plus, if they do all their shopping out on the nearby streets, it's going to take them longer to get back here in time for the show." I add as I check the time on the clock. "We only have fifty five minutes to shop now. I suggest we just stick with what's here in the street mall rather than going back outside."

"I agree. . . Hey, I saw a department store I recognize just down the mall. It's always been known for selling good clothes at reasonable prices. Let's try there first," suggests TenTen as she points down the walkway. "Who knows? Maybe we'll find all that we need in that one store. Well, if we're lucky enough. . ."

We all agree to that before following TenTen through the crowd. It didn't take us long to reach the store, and it didn't take us long to find the store's women's department. As soon as we walked in, a sign immediately directed us to the women's section, all the way in the back of the place.

"TenTen, you may actually be right about us finding everything we need in here," I say as I look around the place. "I see a makeup station off to the right, the whole back wall is lined with shoes . . . We're bound to find some good stuff in here."

"And do you know what the best part about this place is?" asks the brunette as she looks at us in complete glee. "There's nobody else from the competition here in this place with us! We won't have to fight others to get what we want!"

"It won't be like that for long if everyone else starts thinking along the same lines we are," says Temari, effectively bursting TenTen's bubble. "Let's split up and find our outfits. We'll meet up at the shoe wall once we're done before heading over to the makeup counter."

We split after that. I quickly make my way through the racks of clothing to search for the perfect outfit that embodied the 'Nightlife Glamour' theme that we needed to convey on the runway in less than an hour. I, for one, wasn't one of those girls who were all for the wearing bright colors as a head-to-toe look trend, so I avoided those kinds of outfits at all costs. When I think of nightlife, I think of dark colors and dark shades of usually bright colors, so those were the kinds of outfits I was looking for, mainly in a dress form.

After about 10 minutes of searching through the racks, I found an outfit that I was happy with. It was a long sleeved, eggplant colored mini-dress with a bit of a V-neck in the front. It was in my size, but I made a quick trip to the dressing room to make sure it would actually fit me . . .

. . . And fit me it did. I had no trouble slipping it on, and I'll be honest, it fit me like a damn glove, thankfully. Plus, the price was practically a bargain. I would have stayed in the dressing room for a few minutes longer, if it weren't for the fact that I was in a competition. Honestly, I liked the dress so much that I found myself admiring my reflection for a little too long.

I quickly changed back into my regular outfit and exited the dressing room before making my way over to the shoe wall. Hinata and Temari were already there searching for their shoes as their outfits hung from their shoulders, but TenTen was nowhere to be found.

"TenTen still hasn't found an outfit yet?" I ask as I looked at the section of the wall that featured heels in black.

"She did. She was heading for the dressing rooms last time I checked." says Temari as she tried to force her feet into a pair of silver stilettos that looked about a size too small for her feet.

"Huh, I must have missed her," I say as I pick out a pair of simple suede ankle booties that had caught my eye. "And Temari, you may want to try a different shoe, preferably in your actual size. That shoe you have now isn't going to fit you anytime soon."

"I know, but these shoes would be perfect for the outfit that I picked out for myself. Unfortunately, I don't see my size here among the rack, and I don't want to waste time asking the salesperson if they have these in my size," says Temari as she finally gets the shoe on her foot. "I'm just going to have to make due with the shoes I picked out. Besides, models sometimes wears shoes too small for their feet on the runway. I see this as being no different. It's just a little pain anyway . . ."

"Hmm . . . I guess that's fair enough," I say as I slipped off my right heel. "Hinata, have you found a shoe you like yet?"

"Yep . . . I think I'm going to go with these light blue peep toes I'm wearing. It'll be a nice contrast to the all black dress I'll be wearing," she tells me as she admired her feet. "Are you going to go with the ankle booties?"

"I think so," I say as I slipped the other bootie onto my left foot. I then take a few tentative steps in the three inch heels, just to make sure they fit my feet right. "Yeah, I'm going to go with these. So, should we wait for TenTen?"

"No need. I'm here!" we hear TenTen say as she suddenly appears from behind two racks of dresses. Her outfit, a sleeveless, rose colored mini-dress, hung from the hanger she was holding in her left hand while a shoebox was held by her right. "You wouldn't believe where I found these shoes!"

"Save it for later TenTen. Let's get our makeup, pay for our stuff, and get the hell out of here!" says Temari as she starts walking to the makeup counter. TenTen instantly pouted at that, but all Hinata and I could do was was send her apologetic looks before following after the older girl.

When we got to the counter, it was decided that each of us would focus on a certain makeup item for all of us, focusing on the basics. Temari was in charge of foundation and concealer, Hinata oversaw eyeliner, mascara, and eyeshadow, I focused on lipstick, and TenTen was in charge of anything we may still need. We gave each other some quick advice on what to get and what to avoid, and when we were done picking out our stuff, we hightailed our butts over to the cashiers' lane. Luckily for us, we had money to spare, but we couldn't spend any more of it due to our lack of time.

"I wish we could have at least bought one or two pieces of jewelry, or maybe even a nice clutch or purse," we hear TenTen mumble as we exited the store. "You know, just to pump up our outfits a bit?"

"I get where you're coming from with that, but it's best if we just play it safe and head over to the runway now," I advise as we pass a group of American tourists. "Besides, if we don't get back in time, all these purchases will be for nothing."

"Well, not really. We would have some new additions for our respective closets, if you really think about it," says Temari as we near the runway. "You could wear the outfit during an elimination."

"That's a possibility . . ." says TenTen.

"How many people do you think made it back before us?" asks Hinata as we spot people dressed in all black moving around the runway, most likely production crewmembers putting the finishing touches on the venue. "Do you think we'll be one of the last ones there?"

"I think we would be in the middle of the pack . . ." I say as I spot one of the mall clocks on top of a light post. "Look! We still have fourteen minutes left before the hour is officially up."

"Crap! I'm not fast enough to run back into the store and buy a clutch before time's up!" whines TenTen as we finally reach the runway.

"We wouldn't let you anyway! You're the one holding the bag with all the makeup!" says Temari, scowling at the brunette as we're lead over to the nearby prep area. The area was a large white tent set up in a lot between two high end clothing stores. When we finally walked inside, it was apparent that there was a station for each model in the competition, but only seven of the spots were occupied.

"With us here, that makes 11 models present," I mumble as we walked over to the four stations that were set up smack dab in the middle of the tent. "Which means there's still 10 models at risk of disqualification, including the boys."

"Oh . . . I hope they get here in time," says Hinata as she claims the station next to mine, leaving Temari and TenTen to take the stations directly across from ours. "Getting disqualified on the very first challenge isn't a good way to start the competition off by any means."

"No truer words have ever been said," says Temari as she shakes her head, her pigtails swishing from side-to-side with each movement. "But I'm sure they'll get here in time, well, most of them anyway."

" _Most_ of them, Temari?" TenTen couldn't help but ask as she shoots an incredulous look the blonde's way. "You don't sound too confident that the boys will all get here in time girl. You thinking they'll get here late?"

"Not all four of them," says Temari. "I know for sure that Gaara won't get back here late. He may look like a rebel, but he's pretty much the most punctual person in my family, even better than my dad. Neji doesn't look like the kind of guy to be late for an event either. Kankuro does have a tendency to be late at times, and as for Naruto . . . yeah, he seems like a complete wildcard to me."

"That's probably the best way you can describe my brother. You expect him to go one way, but then he does the complete opposite instead. There's pretty much no telling with him," I say as Sakura walked into the tent. "Okay, now we have twelve models present with Sakura just arriving."

"You mean 14. Karin and Sasuke are close behind me," says the pinkette as she looked around the room. "How much longer till the hour is up?"

"As of now, five minutes," says TenTen as Karin and Sasuke entered the tent. Those two completely ignore us as they made their way over to the empty seats by Suigetsu and Juugo. "For some reason, I'm getting some bad vibes from those two."

"Pfft, you're not the only one," mumbles Sakura, her voice hush-hush as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Sasuke may look cute, but he obviously acts like he's better than everyone, and Karin is like a parasitic tick that just can't keep herself away from him."

"They have gotten quite close to each other since the semifinals first began . . . A bit begrudgingly on Sasuke's part," I say as we hear loud footsteps approaching the tent. We turn our heads just in time to see Gaara, Neji, and Naruto almost stumble in with shopping bags in hand. "Aw, you made it, and with three minutes to spare you guys!"

"At least we're here," says Naruto as he quickly catches his breath. "We would have been here sooner, but there was a backlog of people at the cashier's line at the store we went to. Like seriously, the place had 12 cashier spots, but only two cashiers were working the lines! That is not how you do business!"

"Well at least you three made it here back in time, but where's Kankuro?" asks Temari. "Didn't he go off with you guys?"

"He was with us when we left the mall, but while we went one way, he went off in a totally different direction," Gaara calmly explained as he claimed a station for himself. "Is there anyone else still missing?"

"Besides Kankuro, only three other people are still not here," says TenTen as she starts to organize all of our makeup. "Ino isn't back yet, as well as Choji and Lee. If they don't get here within the next 90 seconds, they can kiss their turn on the runway goodbye."

"Well then, it's a good thing I got here just in time!"

As soon as we heard Kankuro's voice, all eyes were on him as he entered the tent with a smile on his face. Choji entered the tent right behind him, his face looking absolutely relieved as he started walking over to where Shikamaru was seated.

"What took you so long Kankuro? You almost got yourself disqualified!"

"Calm down sis. I'm here aren't I?" says the middle Sabakuno as he joins our little group. "And to answer your first question, I thought I would try a store no one else was going to. Managed to find my outfit real quick, but it took me a lot longer to find a decent pair of shoes to go with it."

"MODELS! GATHER ROUND PLEASE!?"

It wasn't hard to figure out that the yelling was coming from Yamato. He was standing right at the entrance of the tent, a small smile stretched across his face as he looked around at all our faces. However, it didn't take long for the smile to go away when he noticed that not everyone was present and accounted for.

"Models, I hope everything went smoothly for you guys when you were all shopping for your outfits during the last hour . . . However, I see that not all of you have made it back here within the time limit," he says, his eyes looking slightly disappointed. "From what I can see, it appears that both Ino and Lee are still not here. That's a shame . . . "

"And look who the cat conveniently decides to drag in. . ." I hear Sakura mumble as the tent flap suddenly flips open. We all turn our heads to see Lee, and then Ino, walk in, both with guilty looks on their faces. Yamato was now looking none too pleased with the duo.

"Ino, Lee, I'm glad you two could finally join us . . . Of course, you two must realize that you were late getting back here, and are therefore disqualified from the challenge," says Yamato, who, not surprisingly, was looking a little disappointed at the two. "Anyway, I will talk to you two about your tardiness after I address your fellow models. So please, if you two can just wait outside for a bit?"

"Of course." says Lee. He was definitely taking the news of his disqualification well. He barely looked disappointed, but Ino was an entirely different story. She was looking downright frustrated as she walked out the tent, Lee slowly following right behind her.

"Let this be a lesson for you guys. Time is a very precious thing in the modeling industry, and if you end up late, whether it's to a casting or a runway show, you can easily lose your job, your moment, just like that," says Yamato, his voice taking on a warning tone. "Anyway, you will have only 20 minutes to get dressed and get everything you need to do done for the show. Once that time is up, I will be assessing all your outfits and determining the order for the show. This process will be going very quickly, but I want this production to go smoothly and without any problems. Any questions?"

"Where're the changing areas?" asks Hinata, her voice quite demure as she nervously looks around the tent.

"On 'You Wanna Be on Top?', we prepare you guys by emulating scenarios that can happen in real life. Today is no different," says Yamato, who was looking quite amused by Hinata's question. "Most runway shows don't utilize standard changing areas, including this one. You're free to create your own makeshift changing areas within the tent, but I suggest you get used to changing in front of others now because you'll be doing a lot of this if you continue to pursue modelling. Any other questions?"

No one spoke. Looking around the group, I could tell that not everyone was completely alright with the idea of changing in front of each other. Some, mainly a few of the boys, looked amused at the notion, but the general consensus to the idea was definitely between somewhat okay to somewhat not okay.

"Well, we should have seen this one coming." said TenTen, her voice cutting through the silent tent.

"You should have," said Yamato as he started backtracking out the tent. "Your twenty minutes start as soon as I walk out of this tent. Good luck!"

"Do we really have to strip down and change out in the open like this?" Hinata asks me with an unsure look as everyone else scrambles back to their stations.

"Pretty much . . . Hinata, are you going to be okay with this?" I ask as I start taking off my heels. "You don't sound like you're comfortable with the idea of changing in front of others."

"I'm fine with changing in front of girls. I've done it plenty of times in school," she tells me as she looks around the tent. As soon as she spotted Naruto shirtless, she quickly turned back to face me, a light pink blush stretching right across her cheeks. "Changing in front of a group of boys, on the other hand, is another thing entirely."

"Hmm, you may have a good point there," I say as I spot Gaara changing from the corner of my eye. He already had his shirt off, and was busy taking off his pants. I turned away before I had a chance to blush myself. "C'mon, we better get ready before all our prep time disappears."

I quickly changed out of my clothes before slipping into the dress and shoes I bought earlier. I knew I was getting stared at, or at least glanced at, from all angles, but I ignored them as I managed to pull up my zipper all by myself. I quickly combed my fingers through my hair before moving on to my makeup, but that's when I hit a bit of a rough patch.

"I know I was the one that picked out all the lipstick, but I seriously can't decide which one I should go with for myself," I mumble as I look among our stash. "Any ideas?"

"Don't use any of the purple shades. You don't want to go too matchy matchy." I hear Temari suggest as I see her force her feet into her shoes.

"I'd say you should just stick with a more natural look," says TenTen as she appears behind my shoulder. Her hair was also down, and I recognized the rose colored frock from earlier, but the pair of seriously sky high stilettos strapped to her feet was definitely new. "You can't really do much with your eyes, but with the very strong color you're wearing right now, I'd stick with a nude lip and some natural blush."

"Thanks TenTen, and are you sure you'll be able to walk in those heels alright?" I ask, mainly out of concern as I notice that she was a little wobbly on her feet.

"I'll be fine, but I'll admit. I'm not used to walking in heels so high, but I'll make these work. I promise you that." she say with a grin as she grabs the peach lipstick from off her counter.

"I have the sudden feeling that people are unnecessarily taking too many risks for this first challenge." I mumble as I grabbed the set of foundation that was the closest to my skin tone and start brushing it along my cheeks. Once that was done, I grabbed a lipstick in a shade that was closest to my natural lip color.

"You're not the only one with that belief."

I recognize the voice as soon as I heard it, but it still startled me enough that I ended up dropping the lipstick right onto my counter. Luckily, it landed right side up. The voice started chuckling, and so I turn my head to see Gaara's stoic face looking straight back at me, as if he halted himself from laughing just as I was turning around. He was dressed in a casual gray blazer with black lapels with a black t-shirt underneath, black jeans, and black dress shoes. He completed the outfit with a silver chain with a small outline of a gourd hanging from the metal.

"I see you've dressed nicely for the occasion. . ." I mumble as I pick up my discarded makeup.

"Thank you. You look very nice yourself Izuka." he tells me, looking a tiny bit bashful as he said.

"Thanks . . ." I say, looking away because I knew for sure that a blush was going to appear if I continued to look at him.

"Oi Gaara, what have I told you about sneaking up on people all silent like that?"

"You know I didn't mean to startle her Temari." says the redhead as I watch his eyes, his beautiful green eyes, move from me to his older sister. "And are you really going out on the runway with those shoes on? They look a little painful from where I'm standing."

"I'll manage." she tells him, waving his concern off as she moved. "And are you really going out on the runway with your tattoo so apparent on your forehead? You should get some foundation on that, stat! I'm sure Izuka would be happy to help you with that!"

"MODELS! YOUR 20 MINUTES ARE UP!"

Yamato's voice stopped Gaara before he could even get his answer out. We all turn our heads to see the runway coach standing right before the entrance, a smile gracing his face as he looked at all of us in turn.

"From what I have seen so far, you guys definitely kept the brief in mind when you were out shopping for your outfits," he tells us with a grin, nodding his head as if he was giving us his sign of approval. "However, the real test is about to begin. It's time to see what you got!"

 **Please review!**


	13. Moving In

Chapter 13: Moving In

"Alright, from what I can see, an even number of you guys went to the dark side in choice of colors while the rest of you decided to embrace the light," said Yamato as he looked around at all of us, vaguely using a _Star Wars_ reference in his description. "For this show, we're going to go from light to dark, kinda like how it's always bright and colorful during a sunset before the nighttime comes in. So, let's get you all in order, shall we?"

Yamato instantly gets to work, moving each of us by the arm and placing us in the spot he wanted us to be in. I was put closer to the back of the line, just ahead of everyone that was dressed in close to or all black. Gaara and Hinata were right behind me, fitting into the close to all black category. TenTen and Temari were up near the front, while Naruto and Neji were closer to the middle of the line and Kankuro was placed close toward the end. In the end, Matsuri was given the honor of opening the show, and Jugo was given the task of closing it.

"Alright, make sure to keep this order as we make our way to the runway. After I do the introductions, I will be the one to cue each of you when it's your turn to walk. Once you've had your turn, make your way to the back of the line because you'll be doing the final walk through after the last person has his turn down the runway . . . Walk tall, and walk proud," Yamato quickly advises us as he stands tight in front of the exit. "Alright then, follow me."

"Well this is different . . ." I hear Gaara mumble as we step into a makeshift hallway made of a large black tarp surrounding us on both sides, obscuring us from the view of the crowd waiting to see us. "They must have put this up while we were getting ready."

"I guess they wanted to keep the outfits we're wearing a surprise for the audience," I suggest as the line quickly comes to a stop. Conveniently enough, there were a couple of monitors set up throughout the makeshift hallway giving us all the chance to see each other walk the runway. Yamato emerged on screen with a microphone on hand, ready to start us off. "And so it begins . . ."

"Welcome everyone!" his voice was clear, even through the thunderous applause he was getting. "First, I would like to thank all of you for taking some time out of your busy schedules to join us for today's presentation. We are very excited for you all to see this year's group of models, who are also probably our most talented and unique group yet . . . This season of 'You Wanna Be on Top?' is going to be a big one, and so, with further ado, let's meet the models!"

"Hey! There's Ino and Lee," cries Hinata as she points at a spot left of the runway. "They're right next to the runway."

"I guess while they're forced to sit out, they get to have a front row seat to seeing us walk our butts off." I couldn't help but say as I spot the scowl on her face. ". . . And Ino looks absolutely pissed about it too."

"Well, at least Lee looks like he's taking his disqualification in better spirits," Gaara adds, just as a dark sounding electro-pop song started blaring from the speakers. "Though they wouldn't be in the position in the first place if they had just got back in the time that was allowed."

"True, but I can't help but feel a little bad for them. Everyone wants to do well in this competition, and getting disqualified in the very first challenge isn't the best way to start things off," says Hinata. I nod my head in agreement with that sentiment, but I was too busy watching the screen to really give her my full attention.

Matsuri was the show's opener, and as I watched her walk, I noticed two things. Firstly, her light blue dress looked very nice on her. Secondly, her heels, unfortunately, looked a little too big on her feet, which made her wobbly for most of the time she walked. When she was finally finished, she disappeared on screen and reappeared at the end of the hallway, wobbly making her way toward the back with frustration dominant on her face.

"How was it?" Hinata asks as Matsuri comes our way.

"It was exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time. I just wish I had found a better pair of heels to wear!" she exclaims, never stopping as she jogged past us.

It wasn't long before the first of our little group of friends made their appearance on the runway, with TenTen being the first to try her luck. I was nervous for her, especially due to the high heels she insisted on wearing, but I gotta admit, she handled herself like a champ, walking down the runway like she owned it. Temari held her own too, but you couldn't help but notice how many times her face winced slightly as she walked.

"She shouldn't have worn those damn shoes. I knew they were too tight for her feet." I mumble as the next person appears on screen.

"That's Temari for you. You can give her as much sound advice as you want, but she'll not listen to it that much if she thinks she can handle the situation without it." Gaara couldn't help but add as we shuffled forward.

"Is she usually like this with you and the rest of your family?"

"Pretty much . . ."

After a few more people, including my brother and Neji, had their turns on the runway, I finally found myself at the head of the line waiting for my cue. The closest monitor was now showing Kiba currently marching toward the runway's end. Even though I was trying to keep a cool head, I could hear the blood pumping in my ears more than the ongoing music. Yamato finally gives me my cue to go, so I walk up the couple of the steps leading to the platform, putting my model facade in place as I stepped on stage.

The crowd had been encouraging and raucous began, so I use that as a kind of confidence booster as I kept my eyes forward rather than on the ground. When I reached the end, I paused so that the photographer at the end could snap a few pics before turning around, just in time to see Gaara appear at the other end. We walk by each other at the middle of the runway, never even noticing each other as we crossed paths. As soon as I knew I was finally out of the crowd's view, I get down the stairs and rush to the very back as best I could while wearing heels. It wasn't long before Gaara joined me.

"How are you feeling?" I ask as I notice the slightly dazed look on his face.

"Better than I felt before I went up there. I'm just glad that I didn't embarrass myself up there," he answers as he takes his place behind me. "You?"

"My adrenaline is a little higher than usual, but besides that, I'm wonderful." I say as Hinata approaches us. "Hinata, are you shaking?"

"Yep. I managed to keep my composure out there, but look." She holds out her hand, and we wouldn't be wrong to say that her hand was shaking as fast as a coffee junkie who just had way more than their usual daily fill. "That was probably the most nerve wracking thing I ever did, well, besides auditioning for this competition in the first place."

Eventually, everyone had their turn on the runway and it was time for the final walk through. With Matsuri leading us off once again, we all walked back onto the runway in a single file line, gracing the audience with our presence one last time before making our way back to the tent.

"That was AMAZING!" I hear TenTen exclaim from inside. When I entered the tent, I found her with a big grin on her face and an arm around Neji and Temari's shoulders by the center makeup stands. My brother was watching them from a seat nearby. "I want to do it again!"

"I'm sure there are future runway shows down the road. You just have to be patient," says Neji as he unwinds his friend's arm from around his shoulder. "I'm just surprised that no one actually stumbled onstage. That's rare, especially this early in the game."

"Considering it was your first runway show in front of an actual crowd, and that 'You Wanna Be on Top?' has a history of models stumbling during their first show, I consider that a miracle."

At that, we all turn our heads to see Yamato walk in with a grin on his face, quickly followed by Dan, Ino, and Lee. The COO of Senju Model Management also had a smile on his face, but it was the cards in his hands that got my suspicions up.

"I see you guys are still going through your respective highs. It's not every day you put on a fashion show, especially when you had to make it work all on your own." says the runway expert. "Now then, I think you all have noticed by now that Dan here has some note cards in his hands, right?"

"I, of course, was in the crowd watching you all and taking some notes. It's something that I usually do when I come to shows that feature new models, mainly to bring some info back to my fellow executives at work. It's one of the main things we use to decide who we want to recruit to SMM . . . I've been invited to quite several runway shows that have been purely made up of newcomers such as yourselves, and I got to admit, this was one of the strongest runway shows I've ever seen, so congratulations."

"A quick thing I noticed while you guys walked. Apparently, some of you guys decided to wear shoes that were either a little too big or a little too small for your feet." said Yamato. Temari, and a few of the others, instantly blushed at that observation, obviously knowing that he had just called them out in not so blunt terms. "Some of you were a little hindered by your choice of footwear, and it definitely showed on your faces. This will be one of many instances that you'll go through as models, so just be mindful of your facial expressions for next time."

"Now then, on to some good news. It's time to name the winner," says Dan. "There were definitely some models that were quite exceptional up on that runway, but one model really took the cake today."

"The winner will not only receive the key to the house you all will be staying in," says Yamato, his hand reaching into his pocket to take out a silver key. "The winner will also get to pick their bed first, which is quite advantageous considering there are 21 of you, and . . . well, I just hope a few of you don't mind sharing."

"Hopefully you all can come to an agreement that everyone will be fine with," Dan adds. A quick glance around at my competition instantly told me that the beds were going to be a contentious debate on the bus ride to our new house, if the facial expressions were any indication. "So, the winner of today's challenge . . . is Sasuke."

"Come on up and grab the key."

Sasuke did as he was told with a pleased smirk on his face, taking the key from Yamato's grasp before returning to his little group of friends at the far corner of the group.

"Now then, get changed. Your bus is waiting," says Yamato as he and Dan start backtracking out the tent. "We'll see you guys later."

It didn't take long for us to change into our old clothes after the two men left. It only took about ten minutes for everyone to get ready before we went to our awaiting ride. The bus started moving just as everyone got seated, but we didn't make it fully off the block before the topic of discussion devolved into the incoming rooming situation. Luckily, Temari managed to get everyone to agree on settling the room situation once we reached the house before the discussion could go haywire, which some of us were grateful for because the discussion could have become an argument real quick.

The drive took some time, taking us out of the city's downtown area, onto the highway, and then finally into one of the city's suburban areas. There were mansions lining either side of the street. It was awesome just to see these buildings, with some of them following a more traditional design, while others embraced a more modern look. We were driven down the street for quite a while before the bus pulled to a stop on the curb, right at an intersection.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is as far as the bus will go." says the bus driver via intercom, shocking most of us with the sudden announcement. "Please disembark and grab your luggage, but before you do, please take a moment to look out the window to your left . . . Say hello to your new home!"

Someone in the back started ecstatically screaming, and soon enough half the bus joined in, voicing our combined approval before we all finally got off. Once we all got our luggage in order, we walked through the black iron gate and up the short driveway, lined on each side by a weeping willow tree, to our three-story abode. Sasuke, who had the key, unlocked the large door, but any sense of good decorum left the group as soon as the door swung open. It was pretty much a mad dash after that, with people discarding their luggage right on the porch to rush inside to see what the rooms were like. I was in the back of the group, so I pretty much avoided the crowd, and when I turned around to look at my immediate surroundings, Gaara was the only one that stayed back with me, and everyone's luggage.

"Didn't want to get crushed by the crowd, right?" I ask as shouts of joy and amazement erupted from inside the building.

"That's one of my reasons," he says in that deep voice of his. "The other is that I figured why should I be in there trying to pick a bed for myself when I barely even sleep?"

"You make a very good point there. Besides, once enough people are eliminated, there should be enough beds for everyone regardless," I say as I pull my luggage into the foyer, where a plasma screen stood perched on a wall. "That must be where the photo of the week will be displayed . . . Anyway, everyone's probably going to gather in the living room to discuss beds. Should we join them?"

"Might as well . . ."

I wait until Gaara pulls his own luggage inside before we move to find the living room. Luckily for us, the first doorway on our right led straight into the room we were looking for. We both leave our bags just outside the doorway before walking into the large room. There was a large deep blue L-shaped sectional with a glass coffee table a few feet in front of it, a couple of matching laz-y-boy chairs on either side of it, and several bean bag chairs in assorted colors lining the wall on either side of the doorway. The wall opposite of us was entirely made of windows, showcasing the immaculate side yard outside. A plasma screen TV was perched on a large wooden cabinet with three shelves. The first shelf held the stereo system and the remaining two shelves held an assortment of movies and TV shows on DVD, and in the very back of the room stood a clear runway running from one side of the room to the other. Neji and Kankuro were seated on the sectional while Shikamaru sat in one of the laz-y-boys.

"The others should be walking in here any minute now," says Kankuro as he turns to us. "They are all either still gushing about the rooms or checking out the yard outside. Not only do we have a pool and hot tub out there, we also got an island grill...I can't wait to put that thing into action."

"You barbecue Kankuro?" I ask as I take a seat in the purple bean bag chair.

"I dabble, though I'm not allowed to use the family grill anymore." he says with a sheepish look on his face. I turn to Gaara, knowing very well that I have a questioning look on my face.

"He almost caught the head of a major marketing firm's hair on fire when he put a little too much lighter fluid in the grill during a charity barbecue our father hosted two years ago," he calmly explains as he takes a seat in the red beanbag chair next to me. "Dad banned him from ever manning the grill ever again after that."

"Hey! He banned me from manning a grill in his presence! There's a difference!" Kankuro states as he points a finger at the redhead. "And since dad's not here, I can man the grill as much as I want to."

"That is until you start burning the food, then you would be banned from ever manning the grill for as long as you're in this competition." Shikamaru slowly states as he leans deeper in his seat. Everyone else chose that time to make their way into the room, stopping Kankuro from saying anything else.

"Okay, I counted all the beds, and Yamato was right. There's definitely not enough for everyone to have their own separate bed," says Temari as everyone else either takes a seat in a chair or bean bag, or leans against the wall. "There's only 17 beds available. There's six in one room, four each in two rooms, and two in a fourth room, which means four of us won't have a bed for a while . . . Sasuke, have you decided which bed you're going to pick?"

"I'm going to go with one of the beds in the two-person room." says the Uchiha before he left the room, most likely to go get his stuff to properly claim his territory.

"Okay, next question, who's willing to room with Sasuke?" Jugo and Suigetsu were the only ones who instantly raised their hands. Karin looked like she was thinking about it, but apparently thought better of it and kept her hand down. "The both of you can't room with him. I guess you guys are going to have to figure it out for yourselves."

"Rock-paper-scissors for it?" asks Suigestu as he turned to face the tall orangette. Jugo nodded and the two ready their fists, and after seven rounds of the both of them tying, Suigetsu finally won. "Looks like I win!"

"Okay, the two-person bedroom is officially off the table now," says Temari as Suigetsu leaves the room. "Next question: who's willing to spend the next few weeks without a bed? Any takers?"

"It really boils down to which _two_ of us are willing to go without a bed for a while," says Matsuri as her eyes rest on me and Gaara. "Gaara and Izuka wouldn't really need beds either way because they barely sleep at all."

"Eh...I guess I can sleep without a bed for a couple of weeks. I don't mind." Naruto volunteers, but he still looks a little unsure about his decision.

"I'll go without a bed as well," says Lee as he quickly raises his hand. "To be honest, personally, I don't feel like I deserve a bed, at least for the moment, after getting myself disqualified from the challenge today."

"Damn, that's actually a little noble of you Lee, in a weird sorta way," adds Sakura as she brought a hand to her chin. "If only we were assigning beds based on today's performance alone, then Ino would be left without a bed for a while too."

"Don't start this Blossom Head. Like seriously, don't try it." Ino practically growls out as she stares Sakura down. If anyone was questioning whether or not she was still angry about her disqualification, her statement answered it swiftly, and with authority. For her part, Sakura managed to not say anything as she turned away from the blonde's angry gaze.

"Okay, now we just have to figure out who sleeps in each of the three remaining rooms."

And thus, the next couple of hours were spent discussing who goes in which room, and things almost got tense for a few moments between Ino and Sakura. For the first half of the discussion, the only thing that was agreed on was that Ino and Sakura wouldn't be sharing a room with each other. Eventually, things got settled and the rooms were eventually agreed on. The six-mattress bedroom became an all girls' enclave, with TenTen, Hinata, Temari, Sakura, Karin, and Matsuri all rooming with each other, leaving Ino as the odd girl out. She was rooming with Sai, Neji, and Kiba while Kankuro, Shikamaru, Choji, and Shino took the other room.

Everyone started moving to grab their stuff and claim their beds, leaving my brother, Lee, Gaara, and myself in the living room to discuss our own arrangements, now that we were left with a mattress to lay on.

"Okay, there's four of us left, and there are two possible rooms left in this place where we can establish our own little space for ourselves: the living room, and the lounge room in the back of the house." says my brother as he looks at all three of us. "I call dibs on the sectional!"

"I'll take the runway!" Lee exclaims seconds later.

"Way to leave us with the lounge room." I couldn't help but grumble as we watch them leave to retrieve their stuff.

"Hey! Don't complain!" my brother retorts, his head swinging back around to face me. "You two both know that you don't need the couch or the runway to sleep on like Lee and I do, and if you do end up falling asleep one of these nights, there are lounge chairs and bean bag chairs that you could sleep on in the lounge room, or in here if you don't want to move . . . I know you guys can make do."

I knew my brother was making a good point, but it was still annoying how he seemingly pulled rank on me, and Gaara by extension, to claim the sectional, and thus the living room as a whole. I seriously hated when he pulled the 'older sibling' card.

"I don't think it's worth trying to argue with your brother on this one." I hear Gaara say as I see him walking toward the doorway from the corner of my eye. "He may not have used the most conciliatory of words, but he did make a good point."

"Mm…I guess you're right. It was still annoying for him to just claim the living room like that though." I say as I follow after him.

"Do what I usually do when one of my siblings annoy to me no end," the redhead suggests as we grab our luggage. "Get back at him."

"Get back at him huh?" I mumble as we grab our bags, my thoughts spinning with ideas. And then, it hits me. "I think I have an idea."

 **Please review!**


	14. Clowns & Bombshells

Chapter 14: Clowns & Bombshells

 _ **The next morning**_

 _How come my ass can fall asleep, but the rest of my body can't when I want it to?_

The question just runs through my mind as I felt the effects of sitting down for too long really start to take effect. I was sitting on one of the two sofas here in the lounge room, waiting for the sun to finally come out. Everyone else was asleep except for one other person, and that person was sitting on a chair out on the back patio, his head tilted upward to watch the sky as it started to change from dark to light. He hasn't moved from his seat since midnight.

I seriously don't know how he even has the patience to keep doing that.

Usually, when I'm unable to sleep, I would spend my time reading a book or drawing in my sketchbook, like I was trying to do right this very minute, but I couldn't bring myself to sketch anything on paper. I'm just too anxious for what the day may bring, especially since our first photoshoot as the Top 21 was going to happen sooner rather than later.

"You draw?"

I almost drop my book at the sudden deep voice, but I quickly recover, somehow managing to catch my book before it could drop to the floor. I look up to see Gaara standing right before the backdoor with the barest hint of a smirk on his face. He was a long way from the ensemble that he arrived at the house in, now wearing a red hoodie with a gray sweatshirt underneath with matching gray pants. It looked cute on him, in a relaxed, comfortable kind of way.

"Uh, yeah, I draw," I say as I finally stand up, my legs slightly aching as I finally put my weight on them after a few hours of being stationary. "It's just something I do to pass the time when I can't sleep, you know?"

"I can understand that . . ." he tells me as he stretches out his back. The house was so silent that I think I heard one of his bones pop from the strain. "What time is it?"

"Uhm, it's almost 5:30," I say, my eyes locking in on the time displayed on a digital clock hanging on the far wall. "The others will be waking up soon."

"That's true... So, I think it would be best if we both got ready for the day before the morning rush starts. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I do, but before we do anything else, can I ask you just this one quick question?" I couldn't help but ask as he walked across the room to his suitcase.

"Shoot!"

"How in the world did you manage to sit in one place for almost five and a half hours straight and not even get bored or sleepy?" I ask, not even bothering to sugar coat my curiosity as I watched his every move.

"Simple, lots of practice."

I honestly didn't expect that response. I thought he would say something entirely different than just 'lots of practice'.

The expression on my face must have been hilarious, because as soon as Gaara turned around to face me again, he had to turn back while struggling to hold back a noise that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.

 _It's nice to see that I can make a man chuckle with just a baffled look on my face._ I think to myself as I picked up my toiletries and my outfit for the day from off the chair I left it on before leaving the room. The ground floor bathroom was the simplest and smallest of the three the house had to offer, holding just a shower, a toilet, and a sink with a small mirrored cabinet above it. After locking the door and putting my things on top of the toilet, I quickly strip off the t-shirt and shorts I've been wearing for the past few hours and step into the shower.

The hot water was a sweet relief for my aching muscles, loosening the knots that developed in my back and legs. I washed my hair out first before moving to my face and body, moving quickly so that I wouldn't take too long, especially considering that I'm rooming with 20 other people for the foreseeable future. Once I was done getting ready for the day, I placed all my toiletries in the upper right hand corner of the cabinet's top shelf before exiting, stopping when I saw that Gaara was standing right before the door. He held his things in the crook of his right arm while his left hand was curled into a fist, signaling to me that he was just about to knock before I had opened the door.

"Oh, and I was just about to knock," he mumbles, looking a little caught off guard as his eyes started trailing downward. "Uhm, you look nice. I like the dress."

"Thanks . . ." I mumbled, my cheeks feeling a little hot as I fiddled with the hem of my silver sundress. "Uhm, the bathroom's all yours now. I placed my stuff on the right of the top shelf in the cabinet. All other space in the cabinet is fair game."

"Thanks for the heads up!" I step out into the hallway just as he was stepping into the bathroom, becoming very mindful of our close proximity in the process. "Oh, before I forget, I just saw what you did to 'get back' at your brother. Your artistic skills are excellent."

"Aw thanks, although, once Naruto finds out, he won't be sharing the same sentiment. I'm still trying to figure out how he could have slept through all of it though."

Leaving Gaara to his shower, I place my discarded clothes back with my luggage before making my way to the living room. Lee was already wide awake and doing push-ups beside the runway, but he was struggling to maintain his composure in doing so.

It didn't take me long to figure out why.

With a knowing smirk on my face, I turn my head to see my brother glaring at me from his spot on the sectional. My normally happy and boisterous older twin had a stare that was like poison-tipped daggers being thrown my way, sharp and stinging. To be honest, I thought he was overdoing it just a bit. What I did to him was not that bad.

I just happened to use some of the washable markers I had brought with me to redo his face into the visage of a gray-faced sad clown, complete with crystal blue teardrops running down his gray cheeks. I thought it would 'enhance' his features a little more.

I guess my brother wasn't thinking along the same lines I was.

"Before you say anything Naruto, please know that this is what happens when you decide on things for yourself rather than have everyone, especially me, voice out their opinion before making a final decision." I say in my sweetest voice possible. My smile definitely didn't match the mischievous look in my eyes, but I tried to save face anyway.

"Can I just say one thing?" we hear Lee ask, now quite attentive to our currently one-sided discussion. "In my opinion, your artwork is so on point Izuka. It gives Naruto a very youthful appearance if I do say so myself."

"Oh shut up Lee!" my brother growls out as he pulls the sheets off his body, revealing that he had only worn his green shorts with black whirlpool-like swirls to bed. "And Izuka, okay, you got me there when it comes to me deciding things without hearing others' opinions, but still, we probably would have reached the same decision either way… Anyway, please tell me you used your washable markers, and not the permanent ones."

"Don't worry brother dear. I used the washable ones. I'm not that cruel enough to use the permanent ones on you, although I was tempted to at some moments . . . Unfortunately, Gaara is showering in the bathroom down the hall, and I think he locked the door, so if you want to immediately get the clown mask off, you would have to go upstairs to do it."

"Crap… I would wait, but I want to get this stuff off as fast as possible" he grumbles as he jumps to his feet. "Hopefully the others are still asleep up there. If I'm quiet enough, they won't notice me at all."

"I doubt it, but you are free to try your luck though."

"Umm… Did Gaara really lock the door before he started showering?" I hear Lee ask as I watched Naruto run up the stairs three at a time. When I turned around, I found him standing right next to me with a curious look in his rather unique-looking eyes.

"I don't think so. At least, I didn't hear the telltale click of a lock when I left him by the bathroom." I say as I walk over to the foyer. When I turned to look at the screen, it was on, displaying an all too familiar phrase that was synonymous with the competition. Knowing very well that the others needed to know about this, I decided to alert them in my loudest voice possible. . .

"GUYS! WAKE UP AND GET YOUR BUTTS DOWN HERE! WE GOT TSUNADE MAIL!"

Nothing is all I hear at first, well, besides Lee's gasp of shock and his loud, incoming footsteps. All of a sudden, shouting, and a few curse words, could be heard on the next floor. Everyone was soon barreling down the stairs like a mob running into a store for Black Friday savings. Some still looked a little sleepy, and others were only half dressed (mainly the boys), but still, I knew everyone was eager to see what the message had in store for us.

"How long has it been up?!" TenTen immediately asks as everyone gathers around the monitor. Her hair was still in its twin buns, but they were so disheveled-looking that they barely looked like buns anymore.

"I have no idea. I walked in here two minutes ago and saw it on the screen," I say as instructions appeared under the phrase. "Tap the screen to read the message."

"So it's actually a computer screen? I honestly thought it was a TV." I hear my brother grumble from somewhere near the back of the group.

"Naruto-kun, why is your face painted like a sad clown?"

We all turn our heads as soon as we hear Hinata ask that question, and as soon as they all caught sight of my brother's face, half the room fell into a fit of laughter. Naruto, knowing that it was no use to hide it now, just stood there and took the laughs like a reluctant champ.

"Oh damn, you look absolutely ridiculous!" cries Kiba, who was one of the few people who had dropped to the ground laughing. "Did you do that in your sleep or something?"

"Let's just say that what's on my face happens to be one of the many things my sister does when she disapproves of something that I did, and we will leave it at that."

"Hmm, if that's the case, we're gonna have to share notes Izuka." says Temari, a smirk dotting her face as we both shared a knowing look.

"Why did I suddenly feel a cold chill run down my back? Gaara, did you feel the same thing I just felt?"

"You're imagining things Kankuro," says Temari as she steps toward the screen. "Now, let's see what the message is, shall we?"

"Took you long enough."

"Pfft, we didn't see you moving to tap the screen Sasuke."

Ignoring the quick back and forth between Naruto and the Uchiha, Temari taps the screen to reveal the message. The screen darkens before showing the message, and it was actually a rather short one, one that caught me off guard a little.

 _Models,_

 _We saw you walk yesterday._

 _Let's see you pose today._

 _Be ready by 9 A.M. sharp._

 _Love, Tsunade_

"Well, that doesn't give us much of a clue, besides the time we're supposed to leave at. It's pretty generic actually," mumbles TenTen as she lets out a small yawn. The sound of retreating footsteps brings our attention to see that many of our roommates were heading back upstairs, with Sakura and Ino at the head of the group, pushing against each other as they went. "I have a good feeling that this rivalry that's been going on between Sakura and Ino is going to last for quite a while."

"Probably until one of the two gets eliminated, or if they decide to call a truce," I say in agreement as I look around the foyer to see that besides TenTen and myself, Gaara was the only other person standing in the room. He was dressed in a simple blue t-shirt and jeans ensemble, but his hair was still wet from his shower. "TenTen, aren't you going to go back upstairs with the rest of the group?"

"I don't need the bathroom as much as the others do. I already took a shower before I heard you yelling about the Tsunade Mail. I just need to change clothes and do my hair and makeup and I'm good to go," she calmly explains, just as we hear a shouting match erupt between Sakura and Ino upstairs. "Huh, I knew this was coming. They were arguing right before bed last night . . . I guess they decided to finish what that started today."

"I don't know about you, but as long as they keep me out of it, I don't mind it."

* * *

x~X~x~X~x

By the time it was 8:55, we were all dressed and ready to go, ready to see what the day had in store for us. When we exited the house, the bus that we came here on was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a sleek, black limo bus with the competition's logo painted on its side was waiting for us by the curb, ready to take us to our destination.

We all piled onto the bus, with everyone pretty much following the same seating arrangement we've had so far. My group stayed toward the front, with Gaara this time sitting right next to me, while everyone else were seated toward the middle and the back. The bus drove us down the street, and soon enough, we found ourselves on the highway heading toward the city's downtown area.

"So, do you have any idea on what we should be expecting today?"

"I honestly don't know Gaara," I mumble as I look out at the highrises, their height making it look like they were stretching out into the sky. "Usually the Tsunade Mails would have some kind of clue as to what we should expect for the next challenge or photoshoot, but this time the clue was too generic. We know posing must mean photoshoot, but as to the _theme_ of the photoshoot, I don't have the faintest idea . . . Do you have any clue?"

"I . . . have no idea." he tells me as he leans back into his seat.

"I do!" says TenTen, who was sitting right behind us with Neji. "Well, I think I do . . . I've studied this competition from its very first season, so I have a good idea on what we should expect."

"Well then don't leave us hanging Bun Head! Spill the beans! What's your theory?"

"Well _Temari_ ," growls TenTen, her irritated growl unmistakable as she stared the blonde down. "Usually the first photoshoot is either real simple looking, or it's so out there and unexpected that it looks real difficult at first glance."

"Well that's nice to know," I hear my brother mumble from across the aisle. "Sometimes the hardest thing to do is something simple because you tend to overthink it, and then the unexpected ones are hard because you're either not familiar with the concept at all or you just don't know how to adapt to it. . . . It could go either way."

Naruto made a lot of sense, which was shocking to me, and we were left mulling his words as we exited the highway. The bus drove us into a more industrialized neighborhood, with office buildings and warehouses lining the street. We pull up to a large two story brick building, whose windows were all located on the second floor. The words 'Suzumebachi Studios' was printed in yellow on the long black awning hanging above the front door, complete with the image of the giant hornet it was named after flying right above the words. . .

. . . And standing right in front of the door was Kakashi himself, dressed fashionably in a red button-down and black jeans, still with his ever-present mask on his face.

"Welcome to Suzumebachi Studios everyone!" he greets us with a wave of his hand as we disembarked the bus. "This building behind me has really become a staple in 'You Wanna Be on Top's?' history. This place has hosted at least one photoshoot for every year this competition has been active, and this year is no different."

"Now then, yesterday, you had to do a runway show where you had to serve as your own stylists and makeup artists, going as far as to having to buy your own supplies within an hour or so no less," he tells us, his eyes practically smiling at the thought. "Don't worry! You're not going to have to do any of that today!"

"Thank goodness for that . . ." I hear Ino mumble from somewhere on my left, which for her, was understandable.

"Yesterday, under a collective theme, you had free reign in your overall look. Today, you will have free reign in how you want to show yourself in front of the camera," says Kakashi. "In other words, while me and my people will provide your looks and camera for the shoot, you will have to bring your own ideas to the forefront in terms of giving us the overall picture . . . Basically, I won't be giving you any instruction. I won't be saying anything. You'll have to figure things out on your own."

"Wait, so we'll have to completely figure out our move set for the shoot on our own, and you're not going to say anything to us - whether you like this shot, that we're doing something wrong - at all?" asked Choji, his face showing how bewildered he was at the notion.

"That's absolutely correct. Once the camera starts shooting, you will be on your own. I will talk to you before your set, and I will talk to you after your set, but _during_ your set, I will be completely silent," says Kakashi, practically loving all the shocked and nervous looks he was getting from the rest of us. "The judges want to see how well you all can do without any 'creative instruction and or advice' from me, and trust me, even though this is your first photoshoot as the Top 21, you really want to be on your A-game today."

"Why do I have the sudden feeling you're about to drop a bombshell on us?" calls Karin, who actually looked agitated rather than nervous.

"Because I am about to drop a bombshell on you . . . I said that you all better be on your absolute A-game today, because in your upcoming elimination round, _**two**_ of you will be going home."

 **Please review!**


	15. Silence Is Golden

Chapter 15: Silence Is Golden

" _I said that you all better be on your absolute A-game today, because in your upcoming elimination round,_ _ **two**_ _of you will be going home."_

"ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!"

After a good five minutes of stunned silence and blunt stares, the quiet peace that momentarily held us in its grip was broken by Kiba's **very** loud yelling. For his part, Kakashi didn't look like he was even fazed by his words. No one could really see what his full expression was due to the black mask he's always seen wearing, but from how the corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement, my best guess was that he was smiling. . .

. . . Or smirking . . . Thinking of Kakashi smiling with a big goofy grin on his face is a little unsettling to me.

"I kid you not Kiba . . . Look, I understand that the news of a double elimination is something that's completely out of left field for you all. I also understand that some of you guys are, predictably, frustrated about it as well. Like come on, you all just made it into the Top 21, and in about 48 hours' time, it'll become the Top 19, just like that." says the masked man, pretty much voicing our thoughts to a tee.

"But think of this as a learning curve. Remember: the modelling world **is** a cutthroat business. You can book a job one moment, and then get cut from the same job for whatever reason five minutes later. . . All I'm saying is that when you're a model, your job is not entirely safe. You may land a gig, but you're gonna have to work to maintain that gig. . . Guys, this competition simulates real-life scenarios you'll face when you start working as actual models. This is meant to help you get used to it, so I suggest you suck it up, grin, and bear it. It only gets harder from here on out."

"When he puts it that way, he makes a good point. A blunt one, but a very good one." I hear Neji mumble from somewhere on my right. When I turned my head to look at him, he had a perfectly resigned look on his face, as if he was okay with his unknown fate.

"We know that . . ." mumbles Kankuro as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Kakashi-san said the truth, but that doesn't mean we have to actually like it."

"Before we continue, I would like for you all to meet your photographer today. She has only recently got into the photography game, but already she has done shoots for publications like Vogue Japan and Elle Korea. Some of you have already met her before in this competition," Kakashi goes on to explain, just as the woman in question emerged from the building. "You guys remember Shizune right?"

"Well this day just gets better and better . . ." I hear someone mumble, but I was too distracted by the fact that Tsunade's very own assistant was our photographer to even utter a sound. Shizune's hair was down, barely reaching past her chin, and she was dressed in a blue, bell-sleeved top, with leather shorts that reached mid-thigh and black ankle boots, a nice combo of the 'hard-and-soft' trend.

"Hello everyone!" she greets us with a grin, as if we weren't utterly stunned by some major elimination news just three minutes prior. "I know you guys usually see me at Tsunade's side, pretty much acting as her right-hand gal, but everyone has to have their side projects. Fashion photography just happens to be mine, and I'm really looking forward to working with you guys today. . . Oh, and by the way, I'm not going to give you any instruction on how you should pose either, so don't look to me for any verbal guidance."

". . . Now that we have given you the gist of your assignment, let's get you inside to hair and makeup."

We follow Kakashi and Shizune as they lead us into the building, which looked a whole lot larger inside than it did outside. While Shizune broke off to head through a doorway that probably led to the set, Kakashi led us up a spiraling, wrought iron staircase to the second floor. We were led to the floor's largest room, where makeup tables were lining the yellow walls of one half of the room, while hair care stations lined the other half. Each station was manned by a person dressed in an identical black shirt, all of them with either smiles or amused expressions lining their faces as they watched us.

Just behind the last station was a large black and white striped curtain. It was only opened halfway, giving us a glimpse of the racks of designer clothing and shoes that we would end up wearing. More workers, this time in slightly more festive colors, were moving around the clothes, making sure everything was in order, to the tiniest detail.

"Alright before I let you all get glammed up, I have to introduce you all to a couple of familiar faces who will oversee your looks today, and for the foreseeable future."

As Kakashi says this, two men step forward. The first was dressed in all black, complete with a bandana that held most of his hair back save for a long strip of brown hair that covered most of his face's right side, obscuring his eye completely. The second man had spiky black hair with a matching goatee. He was dressed in a simple white shirt, brown leather vest, and matching brown pants. For whatever reason, he had a white strip of fabric tied around the middle of his face, straight across the bridge of his nose.

"Everyone, I would like for you all to meet Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki. Kotetsu is the resident head stylist while Izumo is the head hair and makeup artist. Together, these two fine gentlemen will be taking care of your appearances for the entire competition. In other words, they oversee how you look."

"Except when it comes to the elimination rounds, that's where you're all on your own, save for a few special occasions." Kotetsu quickly added. "Yes, myself, Izumo, and our collective team are excited and looking forward to working with you guys over the course of these upcoming weeks. You will be seeing us practically every week, so don't worry, you are in good hands with us."

"Now, before we begin, we must decide who goes to which side of the room first," says Izumo as he takes a coin out of his pocket. "If this coin lands on heads, the girls will go to makeup first and the boys will go to hair. If it lands on tails, the boys will go to makeup while the girls will get their hair done. Are we clear?"

We answer with a resounding "YES!" and watched as Izumo threw the coin up in the air. When he caught it, he slapped it down on his wrist before looking up with a smirk on his face. "It's tails, which means boys, you're heading to makeup, girls, you're going to hair!"

"I can already see some of you boys grimacing over the idea of having a date with the foundation and blush, but don't worry. Today, we're starting you guys off easy. Minimal makeup is the theme today, but going forward, I don't want to see anymore grimacing!" Kotetsu warns as we started walking to our respective sides.

"Is anyone else starting to get a little nervous as time goes on?"

"Hinata, we're all nervous," TenTen was quick to say as Kakashi made a rather hasty looking exit. "But if you remember to stay focused on what you're doing, there should be no problems. . . So, what do you girls think the theme of the photoshoot is anyway?"

"You mean, besides absolute silence?" mumbled Temari as she snuck a look at the clothes in the back. "I don't know. There's a definite daytime feel coming from the clothes."

"Well, our runway challenge did have a 'nightlife' feel to it," I say as my hairstylist, a short man with chin-length red hair, started combing his fingers through my hair. "Maybe today's opposite day."

"Possibly . . ." TenTen grumbles as her stylist takes her buns out of their shape. "Who do you think we'll have it worse over at the makeup tables among the boys?"

"I can tell you who'll have the easiest time with it: Kankuro," says Temari, a small smirk dotting her face. "You should see him when he does one of his puppet shows. He goes all out with his face paint. Some of his designs can get really ridiculous."

"I heard that sis!"

"I wanted you to, and don't try to deny it. You know it's true!" Temari calls right back.

"Temari has you beat Kankuro. She's right, and if you try to say otherwise, I will not hesitate to pull out the pictures."

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE GAARA!"

"You're right Kankuro. I wouldn't, but Temari most certainly would. Wouldn't you sis?"

"Damn straight!"

The exchange between the siblings caused pretty much everyone within hearing range to break out into a giggle fit. It didn't deter the stylists work though, with most of them maintaining their composure well enough to do their jobs properly. By the time I was in wardrobe, my hair was tied into a braided ponytail, wrapped in white paper so that no strand came undone from it. A pale shade of pink lipstick, foundation, and blush was all that I was given in terms of makeup, and as for my outfit, it definitely went with the whole 'daytime' feel I theorized earlier. I was given a sapphire blue shirtwaist dress with dark blue buttons, silver wedge heels, and a slim silver bracelet to wear, and thankfully, it all fit, even the shoes.

"Aw man, now how am I going to make this dress work?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at TenTen's words. She was dressed in, and critiquing, a pink drop-waist dress with black flats, with her hair in the same kind of ponytail that me and all the other girls had our hair styled in. A grimace lined her face, more so directed at her dress than at me.

"I know you can make it work TenTen. Sure, the drop-waist dress isn't a style that can work with every body type, but I'm sure you can make it fierce, somehow," I helpfully say as we waited by the exit for someone to lead us down to set. "Besides, we're not here to criticize the outfits were given. We're here to make them, and ourselves, look good. If you can't do that, then you're not doing your job."

"Well, that was rather blunt of you to say." I hear her mumble under her breath, which led to a scowl forming on my face. "Don't get me wrong, I needed to hear that. But damn, that was blunt!"

"Sorry if I sounded a little harsh. I tend to get a bit mean to compensate for my nervousness sometimes," I say as I take in a deep breath. "But still, you need to calm down about your dress. You've been voicing your gripes about it ever since you put it on."

"Nuh uh." she tells me with a childlike pout. "I haven't been voicing my gripes about it for that long. I've only been doing it when I see that the attendants and workers are out of hearing range."

"Why?"

"Simple: people talk Izzy." she says with a stoic look, her eyes going from side to side as if to make sure that no one was overhearing us. "These kinds of people tend to gossip, and their words tend to get back to the judges. . . I'm just making sure that I'm covering my ass here."

"Huh . . . Fair enough," I say, not really going to argue with her when she makes a valid point. This competition did have quite the history of judges confronting contestants over certain 'conversations' made throughout the series. "And when did you start calling me Izzy?"

"Well, I've heard Naruto call you Izzy a few times already, so I figured why not?"

"And speaking of Naruto, here he comes now . . ." I mumble as he walks into the room, followed by Jugo, Matsuri, and Lee. They were the second group to go down for their photoshoot, leaving the room about an hour ago. None of them looked too sure about themselves, but Naruto still had his trademark smile on his face, albeit a smaller one. "How did it go?"

"It went as well as expected." he tells me with a shrug as he and Lee stopped in front of us while Matsuri and Jugo walked back into the room. "It's not just Kakashi and Shizune that stay quiet for the shoot. Everyone in the room is so silent on set that you can hear a pin drop."

"You're really gonna have to pay attention to their facial expressions if you want to be clued in to how well you're doing." Lee further adds. "They'll stay stone-faced for the most part, but sometimes they'll give a hint away."

"That's almost the same thing Shikamaru said after his group went down." mumbles TenTen, a smirk dotting her face. Shikamaru, along with Ino, Kankuro, and Karin, were the first four to get ready, which meant they were the first group to face the camera. When they came back up an hour later, Ino looked downright worried, Karin tried to look cool but failed miserably, and Kankuro looked unsure. Only Shikamaru looked the same coming back as he did when he left.

" _Yeah, the silence is troublesome, and they stay blanked face for the entire thing, but if you look out for the facial tics - the slight upturn of the mouth, a crinkling of the eye - it may give you a hint on what they think of your performance."_

"It seems like you really took his advice to heart then Lee," I say with a nod of my head. And then I turned to my brother . . . "Did you follow Shikamaru's advice?"

"Uh . . . Not as much as I should have." he tells me with a shake of his head as we see Sai and Kiba making their way toward us. "Well, I better go change. Good luck guys!"

"See you later!" I say as I send them off with a wave. "Are you going to take Shikamaru's advice TenTen?"

"Hell, yes I am! I may not have known Shikamaru for long, and he may appear as a lazy ass, but he has a kind of brain power that I feel I can trust, and that's something I appreciate." she tells me with conviction, just as Sai and Kiba reached us. "Are you guys ready for this?"

"I was born ready!" Kiba exclaims with a wolfish grin that showed off his pointed canines. If anyone had a dog as their spirit animal, it was Kiba. His whole look just screamed canine!

On the other hand, Sai gave us a simple nod in answer, a stark contrast to Kiba's naturally boisterous attitude.

"Hello guys!" calls Kakashi, calling from out of nowhere as he suddenly comes into our view. "I see you are the next four ready to go, so let's get moving."

"Uhm, are you just as unsettled about Sai's continued stoicism as I am?" TenTen's breath tickles my ear as she whispers, keeping her voice so low that I doubt the three men slightly ahead of us heard her.

"It's not really his stoicism. It's his overall presence," I say as we allowed the others to move on ahead of us a couple of feet. "It feels like he's not really there, but he's actually here . . . Is that weird?"

"He doesn't seem to have a personality to himself, or at least one that's somewhat relatable" TenTen says in agreement as we brought up the rear of our little group. "He actually reminds me of a porcelain doll. Pretty, pale, but very empty on the inside."

"Okay, that last part was a bit harsh, don't you think?"

"I'm just telling it like it is."

I couldn't help the frown on my face at TenTen's remark, but I had to begrudgingly admit that she did make a good point, again. Sai was indeed good looking, he was one of the palest people in this competition, and his personality, well, wasn't the best. He stayed silent most of the time, and when he did speak, the atmosphere in the room either became real embarrassing, or just plain awkward.

After getting down the stairs, Kakashi led us through the doorway that Shizune previously went through, leading us to a set with two key features: a sky-blue wallpaper that served as our background and a set of large, multi-colored blocks strewn across the floor. Shizune and the rest of the set crew were strewn across the room. silently fiddling with the equipment to make sure everything was in order.

"Okay, boys and girls, for this shoot, despite it looking a little scarce, we want you to just feel the environment and work with what's around you and not fight against it. Am I clear?"

"Crystal!" says TenTen, while the rest of us just shook our heads.

"Okay, to decide who goes first, you four will be picking straws. The one with the shortest straw goes first."

As soon as he held up the four straws, Sai was the first one to snatch one up, followed by me, Kiba, and then finally TenTen, who didn't bother to move for one until Kakashi handed the last one to her. When we compared our straws, I ended up with the shortest one, and TenTen, somehow, ended up with the longest one.

"How in the world did you end up with the long one?" Kiba was quick to ask as he waved his straw in shock. His eyes were practically pinned on the long straw in the smiling TenTen's hand. "You didn't even move for yours!"

"I guess it was just the luck of the draw, and it was definitely in my favor," she says with a chuckle as she finally notices Kiba's straw. "And why are you really complaining? You have the second longest straw. You get to go right before me."

"TenTen does make a good point Kiba. You should be happy with what you've drawn." says Kakashi, just as he was turning his eyes to me. "On the other hand, Izuka, you've picked the shortest straw, which means you're first. You ready?"

" _No"_ is the first thing I want to say, but I hold my growing anxiety in to properly address him. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Now that's the spirit. Izuka, follow me to the set. The rest of you can take a seat over there in those chairs just off to the side."

Taking his outstretched hand in mine, I let the silver haired man guide me to one of the blocks. He gently pushes me to sit on one of the gray ones before moving to stand beside Shizune, already with her camera in hand. The stylist who was on set was quick to do some final touchups on my makeup before removing the wrapping paper from my braid, delicately letting it fall along the front of my left shoulder before moving off set.

"Like I said before, work with your environment. Don't fight against it!" I hear Kakashi say to me as I relaxed my body, taking deep breaths as I went. "Is there anything you want to say to Izuka before we start Shizune?"

"Go with the flow, and don't think too much. What about you Kakashi?"

"Uh. ... have fun with it?"

The comment coming from him sounded so weird and unsure to my ears that I ended up laughing for a good minute, I think. Shizune was quick to start snapping my photo, taking her first shot while I was in mid-laugh. Keeping their advice in mind, I settled down and relaxed into an opening pose, slouching forward slightly while keeping my face relaxed. I stayed in this position for a couple of frames, slightly changing my expression through each frame while moving my body just a bit for each frame I took.

I found myself getting more relaxed as time went on - even though the silence was still a little unsettling - and I was comfortable enough to try my hand interacting with some of the blocks. I stood on one for a few frames, leaned forward on another, just to make sure that my outfit was shown in some of the frames. I even ended up kneeling, and then lying, on the floor for some of my shots . . . Hey, they can't say that I didn't try my hardest to move.

"Alright Izuka, you're done."

"Huh?" I ask, my eyes instantly finding Kakashi sitting in a seat by thee monitor that was displaying all the photos that were taken. "I'm done?"

"You're done!" he tells, his eyes betraying nothing as he turned to the others. "Sai, it's your turn. Come on over."

Dusting myself off, I step off set just as Sai arrived to take my place. I notice Shizune stoically looking at some of the photos Kakashi was pointing out to her, which only makes me feel even a little more unsure of myself since I still have no idea how well I did. Kiba staring at me funny didn't help my unsettled nerves either, but the smile TenTen had on her face made me smile, just a little.

"Okay, now I really have to start thinking of you more as my competition, and not just as my friend." she says with a mischievous glint in her eye as I take the seat next to her. "You have moves girl."

"I don't know. Just because I moved a lot doesn't mean I took a good photo," I say as I cross my arms. "Now that I think about it, I didn't even take notice of any facial reactions or ticks Kakashi and Shizune may have had. I wasn't thinking about that at all. I just zoned out."

"You were in the moment," she helpfully clarifies as Kiba dutifully watched Sai's shoot. "And I think you did a respectable job. I think I saw Shizune holding back a couple of smirks . . . Maybe she was pleased with what you did."

"I hope so . . ." I mumble as I lean back in my chair. "It's not just her though . . ."

"We can't forget the judges." we hear Kiba grumble absentmindedly as his eyes remained glued on the shoot. . . I swear Sai has barely moved since his first shot.

"No . . ." I mumble, already dreading our meeting with them in the upcoming days. "With them deciding who stays or who goes, how could we forget?"

 **Please review!**


	16. After Work

Chapter 16: After Work

"How long do we have to wait before we can go?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure . . . How about when the last group finishes downstairs?" says Temari as she watched her brother idly tap his fingers on one of the makeup tables. "Calm down Kankuro, the others will be done before you know it. Besides, it's not like you have an important date to get to . . ."

"I'll be honest. I didn't even peg Kankuro to be the impatient type. Irritable? Yes . . . Impatient, not so much. Is he always like this?"

"This is actually one of his better moments," says Temari, her grin earning her a scowl from the middle Sabakuno as she addressed TenTen. "Kankuro's patience isn't one of his best qualities, not in the slightest. Oh, and it's usually at its worse when he's around children."

"Children are, in Shikamaru terms, troublesome. . . I got no time for those little brats. They just make a mess out of everything anyway."

"And that, dear brother, is the kind of thinking that would make you a bad father in the future."

"Who says I want to be a father in the future sis? I don't mind being a bachelor for the rest of my life."

"And that's what I'm afraid of . . ." says the blonde as she slouches in her seat. I couldn't help but connect with her on that front. Just imagining Naruto living the bachelor life for the rest of his days sent shivers down my spine, for several reasons.

"Well, in Kankuro's defense, kids are not the easiest people to be around," I couldn't help but add as I get up and stretch my legs before they could fall asleep on me. "I babysit for a few of my neighbors, and all of their kids are younger than 10. . . When they're good, they're good, but when they misbehave, I want to get out of there as fast as humanly possible."

"See, Izuka knows what I'm talking about!" says the brunette, probably feeling vindicated by my sudden input.

"I'm not saying I lose my patience with them like you seem to do. I'm just saying that they keep me busy, whether I like it or not." I say with a smirk as I watched his smile turn upside down.

"I wonder what caused this dislike for children . . . Kankuro, did something happen in your past that made you not like kids?" asks TenTen, her face the picture of sudden curiosity.

"Are you kidding me?!" Temari exclaims as she jumps out of her chair. "A few years ago, Kankuro was supposed to do a puppet performance for a local talent show, but a couple of kids _hmpf-_ "

Just as she was starting to get to the real meat of her story, Kankuro cut Temari off, slapping his hand over his sister's mouth before she could say anything further. This only caused her to turn her head around to shoot daggers his way.

"What's going on here?"

At the sound of the deep, husky voice, my head turns on a swivel to see Gaara standing right next to me, still dressed in the light red dress shirt and blue jeans ensemble he was assigned to wear. His arms were crossed over his chest as he watched his sister stare their brother to death, the right corner of his lip curved upward in a smirk.

"Wow, you are quiet," was the first thing to come out of my mouth when I realized he was standing mere inches from me. It was something that I didn't mean to say, so I had to clarify my thought when he started looking at me all confused. "I mean, I didn't even hear you walk over here, or even enter the room for that matter. How long have you been standing there?"

"Oh, I only just got here, and sorry if my quiet reappearance startled you," he says with a shrug as we watched Kankuro move further and further away from Temari, the blonde not letting up as she matched him step for step. "Apparently, I have been told that I have quite the knack for appearing without anyone noticing."

"Good to know, I think," I mumble as I spot Hinata speaking with my brother across the room. She was blushing slightly, and my brother was looking a little bashful, maybe nervous, but their conversation continued nonetheless. To be honest, they looked cute together. "How long do you think it'll be before we're allowed to leave for the night?"

"Not long I think . . . Kakashi said he wanted to speak with everyone before we left."

"EVERYONE, CAN YOU ALL GATHER ROUND ME PLEASE!?"

"Huh, right on time!" I say with a smirk as I watched Gaara's face shift to an amused glare. We both turn our heads to see Kakashi standing right before the exit, his one eye scanning the room to take note of everyone there.

"Okay everyone, it's officially a wrap here on set, and congratulations, you all just survived your first photo shoot," he's quick to say as we all surround him in a half circle. "I got to say, from what I've seen from this first shoot alone, we got a stacked field this year . . . Some of you guys really stepped up to the plate. Others performed at a level that I expected them to perform at. And then, there were a couple of you that really need to step it up next time . . . Then again, it is only the first shoot after all. I didn't expect you all to be perfect the first go around, but I was indeed hoping for the best."

"Now then, before I let you all go on your merry way, I have a little letter for you all."

"Is it, I don't know, a new Tsunade Mail?" Ino guesses as we watch Kakashi pull out a slim envelope from his back pocket.

"Indeed, it is . . . Who wants to read it?"

"I'll take it!" calls Suigetsu as he raises his hand from somewhere in the back. It didn't take him long to grab the rose red envelope from Kakashi's grasp, and when he finally opened it and looked inside, his smirk became a grimace. "Models, there are 21 of you in this competition, but after tomorrow, there will only be 19 of you remaining. Be ready by six p.m. sharp. Love Tsunade."

"And with that, I bid you all farewell!"

"And there he goes, leaving before anyone else could even speak with him." grumbles TenTen as Kakashi makes a rather hasty exit out of the room.

"Isn't that one of the things he's known for though?" I ask with a smirk as I lean against the wall. "He's become quite famous for dashing away before someone could stop him, even if they just wanted to say hello. The paparazzi have really helped him hone this talent over the years . . . No wonder they call him 'The Ninja'."

"So, it's not because he wears a ninja mask all the time?"

"To be honest, I have no idea how exactly he first got his nickname," I say as I hike my bag's straps over my shoulder. "It could be either reason."

"There's even a third reason for it, but I'll tell you guys later," says Kankuro, who speed walks past the rest of us, and right out the door. "Let's get back to the house!"

"You do know I still need to get back at you for slamming your hand onto my mouth, right?" says Temari as she follows right after him, her voice sickeningly sweet to hide the malice behind it.

"I know, but it doesn't mean that I can't try to avoid your revenge seeking talons for as long as I can!" Kankuro calls back in return, his tone faint, but defiant as he spoke.

"I have a good feeling things are going to be a bit interesting at the house tonight."

"I couldn't agree with you more TenTen."

* * *

 **x~X~x~X~x**

 _ **Later that night**_

"Hey, what are you up to Izuka?"

I look up from my drawing pad to see Gaara standing in the doorway that led out into the backyard, probably done with looking at the moon for the night.

"Uhm, just working on a new sketch, that's all," I say as I watch him approach. "Your siblings were quite the inspiration for my sketch tonight. I had no idea Temari could pull out wrestling moves at the drop of a dime . . ."

"Yeah; Temari's been a wrestling fan for as long as I can remember. She learned some of the moves by watching matches on TV, and yes, she has practiced some moves on Kankuro and I in the past," he says with a grimace, his face wincing at the memory. "However, I didn't expect her to German suplex Kankuro into the pool after dinner earlier. That was a new one."

"I think it took everyone by surprise, and made us realize that Temari is a lot stronger than she looks," I say in agreement as I went back to my work, the memory of all the shocked faces still engraved in my brain. "Tonight's antics finally knocked Sasuke's default ' _I'm better than you_ ' look off his face for once."

"Well, Sasuke was a little too close to the splash zone for his own comfort," I hear him say as I feel the couch flatten next to me. "It also didn't help that he slipped into the pool right afterward."

"Oh yeah. . . As if I could ever forget that." I say with a grin as I show him my drawing. I decided to draw a three-panel comic strip, showcasing what happened after dinner tonight. The first was split between Temari sneaking up behind Kankuro and then her suplexing him into the water. The second was also split, this time between Sasuke getting splashed by said water and him slipping into the pool. For the final panel, I drew Sasuke emerging from the water with the biggest scowl on his face, drenching wet with his hair in his eyes.

"Yeah, you probably shouldn't show Sasuke this anytime soon."

I couldn't help the big laugh that escaped from my mouth after that, and if it wasn't for me covering it just in the nick of time, half the house would have woken up to me giggling my ass off.

When I finally stopped, I looked up to see Gaara waiting patiently for me to finish, his face bordering on bemused.

"Had a good laugh?"

"Sure did." I say as I put my drawing pad off to the side.

"Good . . ." I hear him whisper as he faces forward. His eyes were starting to look a little unsure, which made me a little curious since it was a look that didn't really suit his face. "Izuka, are you worried?"

"Worried?" I ask.

"About tomorrow night, well, later today now that it's officially morning."

"I, hm . . . I honestly don't know what to feel," I admit as I rack my brain for an answer. "I'm nervous to see what the judges will think of our photos. I'm worried that I may not have done enough during my turn. I'm still a bit irritated over the 'no critiquing and criticism' rule during the shoot yesterday . . . There's just a lot to process from the last 24 hours."

"I think everyone shares your sentiment on the judges . . . As for your worries about how you did during the shoot, I'm sure you've done enough to make it into the next round."

"Thanks . . . But what about you?" I ask. "How do you think you did during your shoot?"

"Well, I was honestly clueless for the first few frames, but once I got used to it, I think I got into a nice groove. Then again, I couldn't really tell what everyone else thought due to it being all quiet . . . You're right, getting no critique or criticism really is annoying."

"Yeah, but we're going to get plenty of it later today," I say, my thoughts already going to the people who would determine our fate in this competition. Ignoring the feeling of dread, I went back to my artwork while Gaara took out a book from out of nowhere and began to read. We stayed like this until Lee walked into the room half-asleep at the crack of dawn, mumbling something about youth, of course.

Nothing much happened in the hours leading up to our meeting with the judges. The only thing that sparked much interest went down during breakfast. Kankuro tried to get back at Temari for putting him through a suplex splashdown yesterday, but all he got for his efforts was a flour bath instead, and somehow Sasuke managed to get caught in the crossfire once again. It looked like the Uchiha would call Kankuro out after he realized that all his hair was covered in flour, but he just left the room instead, grumbling about stupid idiots along the way.

Before we knew it, it was 5:50 and the limo bus was pulling up the curb, eventually stopping right in front of our gate, ready to ferry us to our next destination. Most of us were already dressed and ready to go, but there were still a few stragglers upstairs doing some last-minute touch-ups.

"Who are we missing now?" Naruto asks our little group while the rest of the main pack started walking toward the vehicle. "It's time to get moving."

"Just TenTen and Temari," Kankuro mumbles, still irritated over his failure at breakfast. "I wouldn't mind it if we left Temari behind. We could say we did it by accident."

"I already suplexed you into the pool and made you drop flour all over yourself. Don't make me drop-kick you while wearing four-inch stilettos!" calls his sister as she finally walks into view, TenTen following right behind her. Kankuro scowled, but stayed silent as we made our way to the bus.

The drive was a silent one, and after one look around, you would think we were going to a funeral rather than a performance evaluation. There were one or two conversations happening around me, but most chose to look out the window or take a quick nap as the landscape around us changed from suburban homes to towering skyscrapers.

Another 15 minutes passed before the bus finally pulled to a stop on a busy street. When we all got off the bus, I took a moment to look up at the building our driver dropped us at: a skyscraper that had to be a good 50 stories tall, at minimum.

"Well this is a bit ironic," I mumble, catching the attention of a few of the people around me. "We started this competition in a skyscraper, and each elimination will happen in a different skyscraper."

"The producers really know how to pick them."

I couldn't help but agree with Gaara's assessment as we follow the group inside. The receptionist at the desk directed us to go up to the 40th floor before pointing to where the elevators were located. Since our group was so large, we had to go up in separate elevators. There were six of them in total, but each could only fit seven at one time, so the whole group had to split into three smaller ones before going upstairs.

When we finally reached the designated floor, a series of blue arrows directed us down the hall until we reached a waiting area on the western side of the floor. The room was modern in design, with white couches placed in different spots throughout the room and pictures of different skylines dotting the silver painted walls. The wall opposite of us was completely made up of floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing us all a magnificent view of downtown Osaka and beyond.

"At least we get a splendid view while we wait!" says Sakura as she walks over to the windows.

"Oh yes . . . We get a view of the city as we wait for that door to open so we could learn our collective fates!" mumbles Karin as she stares down a set of double doors that were just off to our left. "They're letting us stew in our own anxiety while they debate who stays and who goes."

"Isn't this what usually happens before an elimination though?" asks Suigetsu, who apparently loves to poke Karin's buttons these days. "This is Competition 101 Karin. You just got to get used to it."

Before Karin could even get her two cents in, the double doors started to open, gaining everyone's attention in the process. When we peeked into the other room, all our eyes went to the four people by the table at the other end of the room. Three of them were sitting behind it, but the fourth stood right before it, dressed in a dark blue jumpsuit that fit her body like a glove, black heels that added a good four inches to her frame, and a smile on her face that just seemed to light up the room.

"Welcome models!"

 **A/N: Yeah, this chapter was a bit of a struggle. Please review!**


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